A Study on Prevalence of Hypertension and Challenges of High Cost of Medications in General Out Patient Department (GOPD) FMC, a Tertiary Care Medical Centre, at Lokoja, North Central Nigeria

Abstract

Hypertension is the driver of the CVD epidemic in Africa where it is a major, independent risk factor for heart failure, and stroke and kidney failure. In other to mitigate the high cost of medications in Nigeria, government initiated National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in 2005. This study investigated the rate of hypertension among Nigerians, the influence of NHIS on patients accessing hospital for medical care and the availability and affordability of antihypertensive medications. An analytical study was conducted on all prescriptions emanated from GOPD over six-month. A total number of 8,166 prescriptions were analyzed and the same number determined. 78 % of the total prescriptions contained no anti-hypertensive drugs while 22 %contained one or more anti-hypertensive drugs. 62 % of the total prescriptions were on NHIS whereas 38 % were non-NHIS, indicated that majority of the patients visited GOPD are NHIS enrollees. 20 % of NHIS prescriptions contained anti-hypertensive, while the remaining 80 % were non anti-hypertensive. Whereas, 78 % of all anti-hypertensive prescriptions were on NHIS while 22 % were non-NHIS, this shown that majority of antihypertensive prescriptions were NHIS enrollees. This suggested that people under NHIS sought medical care in the hospital than non NHIS. Only 37 % hypertensive patients on NHIS got all their drugs at the supposed 10 % price, whereas, 51 % of the hypertensive patients on NHIS got only part but not all their drugs at 10% price, 12 % got none of their drugs at 10 % price. Majority of the hypertensive patients under NHIS did not get their prescribed drugs. However, 62 % of antihypertensive prescriptions on non-NHIS got all their drugs available, 34 % of non-NHIS antihypertensive prescriptions had part of their medications but not all available at the hospital while only 4 % nonNHIS antihypertensive prescriptions had none of their medications available. There was a high cases of hypertension discovered at GOPD and a majority of NHIS patients visited hospital for medical services than non NHIS. More non NHIS patients have more of their drugs available than NHIS patients. There should be more attention towards non-communicable diseases like hypertension and increase accessibility to drugs. Government should also make NHIS more attractive by increase enrollee’s satisfactions.