Nigerian music video director ThankGod Omori, popularly known as TG Omori, has opened up about the financial burden of treating kidney failure, saying even a monthly salary of N1 million may not be enough to sustain dialysis treatment.
Omori spoke during an interview on the Afropolitan podcast, published on YouTube on Wednesday, where he recounted his battle with kidney failure and the challenges he faced while awaiting a transplant.
The director said a dialysis session costs between N50,000 and N70,000 at some hospitals, while he paid between N150,000 and N200,000 at a private facility.
According to him, patients may require up to three dialysis sessions a week, pushing the weekly cost to between N500,000 and N600,000.
“I spent a lot on surgery. Dialysis costs ₦70k a day, but at an exclusive place, I sometimes had three sessions a week, costing ₦500k. A minimum-wage person wouldn’t cope. I waited a year for a transplant, which cost ₦31m.
“So, a minimum-wage person is dead already on one session,” Omori said.
He estimated that a patient undergoing dialysis for about a year while waiting for a transplant could spend as much as N31 million, excluding additional costs for tests, medication and possible complications.
Omori also recounted his unsuccessful attempt to receive a kidney from his brother. He said it took nine months to find a donor before doctors discovered that the kidney was not compatible with his body.
“My brother gave me his kidney after it took us nine months to find a donor. The doctor said my body wasn’t accepting it, that it didn’t match.
“The doctor tried again, but it wasn’t responding. I was pissed, and they said they would have to take me back to see how they could make my body accept it. My brother still has to live with only one kidney,” he said.
Reflecting on the financial demands of treatment, Omori said even earning N1 million a month would not be enough to cover the costs.
“So, automatically, if your salary is even one million naira a month, it can’t serve you,” he said.
He said the experience also changed his perspective on the importance of money and financial support during serious illness.
“Even though money can’t buy happiness, money can still buy some time,” Omori said.
In 2024, Omori revealed that he had undergone a kidney transplant, saying he was alive because his only brother donated one of his kidneys.
He later shared a photo of himself receiving treatment in hospital, captioned, “Keep my spirit alive.”
