PREVAILING FACTORS; AN EVALUATION OF ANNUAL BUDGETARY ALLOCATION FOR HEPATITIS B VIRUS (HBV) IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Hepatitis B virus is the main contributor to acute and chronic liver diseases. It is an infectious disease that over two billion people are thought to have been exposed to and about 340 million of them are chronic carriers. This virus can be contracted through an infected person’s blood or body fluid, small open wounds, or mucosal surfaces. A review of the literature through PubMed, Google Scholar, clinicaltrials.gov, WHO, and ResearchGate was conducted to retrieve the primary studies published between 2015 and 2022. A model of Nigeria’s Budget allocation to the health sector from 2012 to 2022 was used to estimate the yearly budget allocation to health sectors in Nigeria yearly. About nine in ten Nigerians who live with chronic Hepatitis B virus are unaware of their infection status due to a lack of resources and low budget allocation and exclusion of HBV in financing strategy development. The 2012 to 2022 model breakdown showed that only US$ 6.44 was budgeted for every Nigerian's medical care for one year, making it almost impossible for an average Nigerian to get a proper hepatitis screening and diagnosis. However, the Nigerian Government has been able to make a move to begin the production of hepatitis vaccines to eradicate the burden of the disease. Despite the availability of reliable vaccines and treatment options, Nigeria is still saddled with treatment and management even though there are well-structured National Strategic plans.