Nigeria’s growing diabetes burden is putting increasing pressure on families and the healthcare system, with experts calling for improved access to medicines, specialist care, diagnostic services and preventive interventions.
The Endocrine and Metabolism Society of Nigeria (EMSON) says an estimated six to seven per cent of Nigerians are living with diabetes, translating to about 15 million people.
The society’s President, Prof. Andrew Uloko, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja at EMSON’s 47th Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference, held under the theme, “Endocrine Practice in Nigeria: Improving Patient Care and Outcomes Through Advocacy.”
Uloko said the actual burden could be higher because a significant number of Nigerians living with the condition remained undiagnosed.
He identified access to medicines, glucose-monitoring equipment, laboratory investigations and specialist services as some of the major challenges confronting patients who had already been diagnosed.
According to him, Nigeria’s changing demographic and socioeconomic environment was also contributing to the evolving pattern of endocrine diseases.
He said population growth, ageing, urbanisation, changing dietary habits and physical inactivity were reshaping the country’s endocrine disease landscape.
The EMSON president added that these factors were being compounded by poverty, food insecurity and infectious diseases, further stretching already limited healthcare resources.
Beyond the clinical implications, Uloko said diabetes had far-reaching consequences for individuals, households and society, affecting education, employment, family finances and overall quality of life.
“Behind every statistic is a human being,” he said.
“It is the young adult whose diabetes interferes with education and employment; it is the mother struggling to afford insulin.
“It is the older person living with diabetes and kidney disease, and the patient who presents with a preventable complication,” Uloko said.
He said EMSON would continue to advocate affordable endocrine healthcare, stronger collaboration among stakeholders and the adoption of evidence-based policies capable of improving patient outcomes.
Uloko also said the society was committed to creating more opportunities for younger endocrinologists as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s specialist workforce.
High Cost of Treatment a Major Barrier
The keynote speaker, Prof. Anas Sabir, also highlighted the scale of the diabetes crisis, putting the number of Nigerians living with the condition at between 10 million and 15 million.
Sabir estimated diabetes prevalence at between 5.7 per cent and seven per cent, while identifying late presentation and the high cost of treatment as major obstacles to effective management.
He said the financial burden was particularly severe because many patients had to bear the cost of treatment themselves.
“Most patients pay out of pocket. Even the NHIA does not give coverage of everything and, even when it does, it is not very effective,” he said.
Sabir noted that diabetes rarely occurred in isolation, as patients could also have hypertension, dyslipidaemia and obesity.
The combination of these conditions, he said, further complicated the country’s already significant disease burden and increased the need for comprehensive and affordable care.
He also drew attention to the shortage of specialists, saying Nigeria had fewer than 200 practising endocrinologists.
According to him, specialist training is concentrated mainly in tertiary healthcare institutions in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Kano, leaving significant gaps in access to endocrine services in other parts of the country.
Two Endocrinologists Serving Up to 60 Patients Per Clinic
The shortage of endocrinologists was also highlighted by Prof. Saad Ahmed, Chief Medical Director of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jabi, Abuja.
Ahmed, who was represented at the conference by Dr Ben Achusin, said the hospital currently had only two endocrinologists attending to between 40 and 60 patients per clinic.
He expressed concern about the pressure placed on the available specialists and the resulting impact on waiting times and patient care.
“I keep wondering, for how long are they going to continue this way?” Ahmed said.
According to him, FMC Jabi previously had four endocrinologists, but two of the specialists migrated to the United States, leaving the hospital with half of its former specialist workforce.
Ahmed called for stronger advocacy to encourage medical students and younger doctors to consider endocrinology as a career path.
He also urged stakeholders to improve access to specialised investigations needed for accurate and timely diagnosis.
Some hormonal, biochemical and molecular tests, he said, were currently being sent abroad, a situation that could delay diagnosis and the commencement of appropriate treatment.
“We need to think out of the box and find novel ways to get diagnosis quickly,” Ahmed said.
FCT Steps Up Screening, Prevention
Dr Adedolapo Fasawe, Mandate Secretary, Health Services and Environment Secretariat, FCT Administration, called for stronger advocacy and improved access to healthcare services as part of efforts to address the growing burden of endocrine and other non-communicable diseases.
Fasawe said the Federal Capital Territory had exceeded its Project 10 Million screening target in 2024 and had continued blood glucose and blood pressure screening through medical outreaches.
She said the FCT Administration had also secured accreditation for Internal Medicine Residency Training in 2023, while the restructuring of the FCT Primary Health Care Board in 2026 had strengthened disease prevention and surveillance.
Fasawe commended EMSON for its advocacy and research activities, but expressed concern over the inadequate number of endocrinology personnel across the Federal Capital Territory.
She said sustained collaboration between government, professional bodies and other stakeholders would be necessary to expand access to specialist care and strengthen prevention and early detection.
As part of efforts to encourage excellence in postgraduate medical training, Fasawe also announced annual awards of N250,000 each for two outstanding postgraduate medical graduates.
The interventions, speakers said, are expected to contribute to a broader response to diabetes and other endocrine disorders, particularly by improving early diagnosis, reducing barriers to treatment and strengthening Nigeria’s specialist healthcare workforce.