Health Associated Infections in 2023 Cost Nigeria $4.5bn – NCDC
The Federal Government said the total economic cost of Healthcare-Associated Infections in Nigeria has been estimated to be $4.5 billion in 2023.
The Coordinator of the National Infection Prevention and Control Programme at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Tochi Okwor disclosed this on Monday at the inauguration of the national IPC Technical Working Group in Abuja.
Okwor said the cost of the HAIs as a percentage of the Gross Domestic Product has also been estimated to be up to 0.94 per cent.
HAIs are avoidable harms that result from healthcare when IPCs are not optimal in hospitals.
Read Also:
She stated that Nigeria also has a high burden of community-acquired infections.
“The total economic cost of HAIs in Nigeria has been estimated to be up to $4.5bn in 2023, and the cost of these HAIs as a percentage of our GDP has also been estimated to be up to 0.94 per cent, and the cost of treating these HAIs as a proportion of our total healthcare expenditure in 2023 has also been estimated to be up to 3.8 per cent.
“Infectious diseases are non-discriminatory as they can affect the lives of everyone, especially Nigerian patients receiving care who could be you or me. The Turn Nigeria Orange Programme is strongly linked to implementing strategies that would help increase awareness and reduce incidences of HAIs,” she stated.
