ABUJA, Nigeria – Only five of 58 hospitals surveyed in Nigeria had dedicated stroke units, highlighting major gaps in the country’s capacity to treat stroke patients as millions of people with hypertension remain at risk of the potentially disabling condition.
Programme Officer at the Society for Public Health and Social Development, Doris C. Maduka, disclosed this in on Sunday, warning that inadequate specialised care, poor hypertension control and rising medication costs are worsening Nigeria’s stroke burden.
Maduka cited a 2022 cross-sectional survey by Arambami and other researchers, which found that only five of the 58 hospitals assessed had dedicated facilities for stroke management. She said the shortage means many stroke patients are treated in general hospital wards without access to the specialised, multidisciplinary care needed to improve recovery and reduce long-term disability. “A stroke unit is a designated space and setup for the management of a stroke patient, usually within a tertiary hospital with access to a multidisciplinary specialist team. As of 2022, after a cross-sectional survey, Arambami et al. found out that only five out of 58 hospitals had such a setup. This means we are still very far, given the prevalence of stroke,” she said.
The expert also identified poor hypertension control as a major factor increasing Nigerians’ vulnerability to stroke, warning that the high cost of essential medicines could force patients to discontinue treatment. According to the World Health Organization’s 2025 hypertension country profile, approximately 22 million Nigerians aged 30 to 79 are living with hypertension, but only 13 per cent have their blood pressure under control. This leaves about 19.1 million affected Nigerians without controlled blood pressure, increasing their exposure to complications, including stroke, heart disease and kidney disease.
Maduka explained that hypertension requires continuous management through prescribed medication and lifestyle changes, making affordability critical to preventing complications. “Hypertension is a chronic condition which in most cases requires lifelong management with antihypertensives and lifestyle modification. Therefore, the rising cost of drugs means that most patients will be unable to afford their drugs, and this will lead to poor compliance and eventually poor treatment and thus an increased risk of stroke,” she said.
She urged the government to address the rising cost of medicines, tackle inflationary pressures and strengthen local pharmaceutical manufacturing to make essential drugs more affordable and accessible. Maduka also highlighted findings from her organisation’s Community Action Against Non-Communicable Diseases (COMAAND) project, which showed a significant gap between awareness of hypertension and effective control of the condition.
According to her, about 60 per cent of participants were aware of hypertension, but the proportion of people identified with the condition who had it under control fell to approximately 12 per cent during the COVID-19 pandemic. She attributed the decline largely to poor access to medication during the period, stressing that awareness alone was insufficient without consistent access to treatment and regular medical monitoring.
The public health expert further linked the growing burden of hypertension and stroke to changing lifestyles associated with urbanisation, demanding work schedules and increased consumption of highly processed foods. She called on Nigerians to adopt healthier diets, monitor their blood pressure regularly and seek medical attention rather than attributing hypertension and stroke solely to spiritual causes.
Maduka also urged religious leaders to encourage members of their congregations to embrace preventive healthcare and seek professional medical assistance when necessary. She said expanding access to health insurance would help reduce out-of-pocket healthcare spending and improve access to essential services, particularly for patients requiring lifelong treatment for chronic conditions.
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