A Consultant Rheumatologist, Dr Hakeem Olaosebikan, has appealed to federal and state governments to assist in improving access to quality healthcare for lupus patients. Olaosebikan, who works at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Southwest Nogeria, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday in Lagos. NAN reports that Systemic Lupus Erythematosus or Lupus disease is an autoimmune disease that occurs when the body system attacks its tissues and organs. Inflammation resulting from lupus may affect various body organs, including the skin, kidney, brain, blood cells, lungs, heart and joints. The consultant, therefore, listed the exorbitant cost of lupus diagnostic tests, the high cost of drugs and limited drugs which are not readily available in the country as challenges affecting lupus patients. Olaosebikan further cited limited access to care due to the inadequate number of rheumatologists (autoimmune specialists) in the country as a major problem facing patients. The specialist called for policies that would assist in reducing the cost of importing such drugs, noting that βthe burden of the high cost of drugs falls on patients, who largely pay out-of-pocket.β He added that the limited capacity to manage lupus emergencies also posed a threat to the well-being of patients, thus calling for an improvement in emergency care. He also stressed the need to improve awareness about lupus disease to assist in diagnosis and early treatment.
