TG Omori warns dialysis costs could kill minimum-wage earners in one session
TG Omori said on the Afropolitan podcast (September 23, 2026) that a dialysis session costs between NGN50,000 and NGN70,000 at public hospitals, and he paid NGN150,000-NGN200,000 at a private facility. Patients typically need three sessions weekly, pushing weekly costs to NGN500,000-NGN600,000. He estimated that a year of dialysis while awaiting a transplant could reach NGN31 million, excluding tests, medication and complications. Omori warned that a minimum-wage earner would not survive even one session, and that someone earning NGN1 million monthly would still be overwhelmed.
These figures expose the huge gap between healthcare costs and ordinary incomes in Nigeria. Even middle-class earners struggle to afford regular dialysis, highlighting the urgent need for affordable treatment options, expanded health insurance coverage, or government subsidies for kidney disease.
If you or a loved one face kidney failure, check eligibility for the National Health Insurance Scheme, explore dialysis subsidies at teaching hospitals, and consider registering for a transplant waiting list early. Will you advocate for better renal care policies, or set aside emergency savings for potential medical costs?