The cost and expenses have created an enormous barrier for the citizens to seek treatment
Hypertension places a considerable financial burden on both citizens and governments in Sub-Saharan Africa. Sub-Saharan Africa carries a new burden regarding the health sector, As according to a study, hypertension places a considerable financial burden on both citizens and governments. The cost and expenses have created an enormous barrier for the citizens to seek treatment.
As per the study published in the journal of BMC Public Health on August 08, 2022, one of the most significant factors in the rising burden is the expense of managing comorbidities and multi-drug therapy.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, hypertension has grown to be a serious threat to people’s health
There has been a shift as High-income countries (HIC) no longer have the highest blood pressure readings in the world; instead, low- and middle-income countries do (LMIC) and so in Sub-Saharan Africa, hypertension has grown to be a serious threat to people’s health (SSA), according to the report of National Center of Biotechnology Information.
A projected 1.5 billion individuals would have hypertension by 2025, up from an estimated 972 million in 2000, 65% of whom resided in developing nations. If hypertension is not treated, it can have devastating outcomes that include, among other things, stroke, myocardial infarction, cardiac failure, and renal failure.
The biggest risk factor for cardiovascular illnesses, the leading cause of mortality worldwide, is hypertension. And when we talk about the risk factor the absolute that follows is the solution and in this case the medication or the treatment for the same. Only a few Sub-Saharan African nations have adequate access to medications for cardiovascular problems.
Each nation presented a unique set of challenges in terms of the structure and financing of its healthcare systems
The majority of patients cannot afford treatment since prescription costs vary widely and transportation to medical facilities from rural locations is expensive. An investigation revealed that costs vary significantly based on costing methodologies and international healthcare infrastructure.
As a result, it was challenging to analyze broad trends across all of Sub-Saharan Africa because each nation presented a unique set of challenges in terms of the structure and financing of its healthcare systems. The studies only mentioned 25% of the Sub-Saharan African nations, with Nigeria topping the research with a share of 27%.
According to the survey, the majority of expenses were related to prescription costs, which ranged from $1.70 to $97.06 from a patient’s perspective and from $0.09 to $193.55 from a provider’s perspective per patient per month.
Drug subsidies could result in the greatest drop in treatment costs
According to the DownToEarth report, the study also noted that there are significant discrepancies in the use of hypertension screening and treatment services, primarily to the detriment of lower socioeconomic groups making it difficult for the group to afford such treatment and medications. According to the analysis, drug subsidies could result in the greatest drop in treatment costs.
By encouraging care in local health and community centers rather than hospitals, costs could be further reduced. There is an urgent need to look over this situation, Researchers and decision-makers should therefore concentrate on additional Sub-Saharan African nations, paying particular attention to indirect costs and the price of establishing clinics and community centers.
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