A chieftain of the All-Progressive Congress (APC) in Osun State, Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu, to urgently intervene in the hike in prices of essential drugs in the country.
Oyintiloye, who made the appeal while speaking with newsmen yesterday in Osogbo, the State capital, said that many Nigerians were currently unable to access most essential drugs due to the extreme high prices.
He said that the escalating prices of the drugs could be attributed to a combination of factors, which include the withdrawal of GSK, a major player in the pharmaceutical industry and the high rate of inflation in devaluation of Naira.
Oyintiloye said that the factors, among others, had made prices of drugs such as amlodipine, Augmentin, Paracetamol, Coartem, and other essential drugs, to become unaffordable for the common man.
According to the former lawmaker, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has revealed that the value of medicines imported into Nigeria rose by 68 per cent to N81.8 billion between July and September. He said that the surge in the prices of drugs had placed a significant financial strain on individuals and families already struggling with the harsh economy.
The APC chieftain, who commended President Tinubu’s effort in repositioning the economy, however, said there was urgent need to redouble efforts in the health sector.
Oyintiloye, a member of the defunct APC Presidential Campaign Council, noted that patients struggling with chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, tuberculosis, among others now found it difficult to cope with the surge in the prices of their medication.
He appealed to the Government to drive investments in the health sector, address forex problem, remove the duty tax on medication, encourage local production and also allow more enabling environment for the pharmaceutical company.
Oyintiloye commended the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Mohammed Pate, for meeting with representatives and Chief Executive Officers of pharmaceutical companies in Nigeria recently to find solutions to the crisis.
He said the efforts of President Tinubu in revamping the economy would soon begin to yield positive results.
