ACUF Raises Alarm Over Rising Cost of Asthma Care Amid Growing Poverty in Nigeria

Our Reporter 

The Amaka Chiwuike-Uba Foundation (ACUF), a non-governmental organisation, has expressed concern over the increasing difficulty faced by many Nigerian families in caring for asthmatic patients due to worsening poverty and the high cost of treatment.

Chairman of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, Chiwuike Uba, made the disclosure on Thursday in Enugu while speaking on the financial burden associated with asthma management in the country.

Speaking in commemoration of this year’s World Asthma Day, observed every first Tuesday in May, Uba highlighted the urgent need for improved access to asthma medications. The 2026 theme is: “Access to Anti-inflammatory Inhalers for Everyone With Asthma, Still An Urgent Need.”

According to him, inhaled corticosteroids have become essential in effective asthma management because they target airway inflammation, prevent attacks, reduce hospital admissions, and lower the risk of death.

He further explained that combination inhalers, which combine corticosteroids with fast-acting relievers, provide both immediate relief and long-term control in a single device, making them highly effective for patients.

Despite their importance, Uba lamented that access to these life-saving inhalers remains highly unequal, especially in Nigeria where poverty continues to limit healthcare access for millions of citizens.

The professor of Applied Economics and Social Development noted that a significant number of Nigerians live below the poverty line, surviving on incomes barely sufficient for daily needs, thereby making asthma treatment unaffordable for many households.

“A basic reliever inhaler costs between ₦5,000 and ₦8,500. Inhaled corticosteroids may cost up to ₦35,000, while combination inhalers range from ₦34,500 to ₦70,000,” he said.

“With the national minimum wage at ₦70,000, and with many households earning far less, a single inhaler can consume, or even exceed, a family’s entire monthly income. For families living in poverty, this is not simply expensive; it is unattainable.”

Uba warned that the financial strain has forced many families to delay treatment, ration inhalers, or abandon care altogether, thereby worsening health outcomes for asthma patients.

He added that some patients resort to cheaper oral medications that often come with harmful side effects, while others depend solely on short-acting relievers that only address symptoms without treating the underlying condition.

“Poverty, in this context, is not just an economic condition. It is a driver of preventable illness and death,” he stated.