A consultant pulmonologist at Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Prof. Gregory Erhabor, has said more than 10 million Nigerians are suffering from asthma.
Erhabor, who is also the managing director, Asthma and Chest Care Foundation, Ile-Ife, gave the figure in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
The expert, who disclosed that 500,000 patients died annually, globally, due to the disease, said Nigeria had not done much in research.
“In research, we are still not where we should be, but notwithstanding, we are able to understand the cause of asthma and how to control it.
“One of the challenges is that many people do not know how to prevent the ailment.
“This is why the foundation is trying to make the awareness for patients to know the symptoms of the disease and study them.
“The Asthma and Chest Care Foundation gives out free drugs to asthma patients so that they can know how to control the ailment.
“We are being funded by ourselves and a few other donors. The government agencies should assist us because we cannot do it alone,” he said.
The professor urged the Federal Government to give asthma treatment attention.
He enjoined the government to train doctors, nurses and other health care practitioners in the management of asthma.
Erhabor advised governments to subsidise the high cost of drug for the treatment of patients.
He said: “Some of these drugs are not affordable and quite a number of them are not available in the country.
“We want a situation in which the government will bring the drugs down to the level of common asthmatic patients.”
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