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The short answer
Dialysis is a recurring cost, often several sessions a week for as long as the treatment lasts, so budget it monthly: sessions, consumables, drugs, blood tests and transport, priced from the hospital's own written tariff. Paying the hospital directly against invoices keeps records clean, and the IRS Form 709 instructions say medical payments are outside gift tax only when paid to the care provider.
Why dialysis needs a monthly budget
Most medical crises in Nigeria are one-off: a surgery, an admission, a deposit. Dialysis is different. A parent with kidney failure may need sessions several times a week, indefinitely or until a transplant, and the cost recurs every month. The doctor decides the frequency; ask the nephrologist how many sessions a week are prescribed and whether that is likely to change. A family that treats each session as an emergency transfer ends up exhausted; one that budgets it monthly can keep going.
What a month of dialysis includes
Ask the hospital or dialysis centre for its written tariff and price each line:
| Line | What to ask |
|---|---|
| Each session | Price per session; whether consumables (dialyser, lines) are included |
| Consumables | If separate, cost per session; whether you may buy them yourself |
| Drugs | Medicines given during or between sessions, such as for anaemia or blood pressure |
| Blood tests | Which tests, how often, price |
| Access procedure | Catheter or fistula, a one-off cost but sometimes repeated |
| Doctor reviews | Consultation fees |
| Transport | Return trips per session; a driver or taxi |
| Food and carer | Diet changes, someone to accompany your parent |
Insurance and HMO cover
If your parent is enrolled with an HMO under the National Health Insurance Authority, ask the HMO in writing what it covers for dialysis, how many sessions, at which facilities, and with what co-payment. The NHIA lists accredited HMOs on its website, with contact details. Do not assume cover; get the answer in writing before the first session. Our guide to health insurance for parents in Nigeria covers enrolment.
A worked example
Example only, with invented prices. Femi's mother in Ibadan is prescribed two sessions a week at a private centre.
| Line | Example per month |
|---|---|
| 8 sessions at ₦60,000, consumables included | ₦480,000 |
| Drugs | ₦120,000 |
| Blood tests | ₦45,000 |
| Doctor review | ₦25,000 |
| Transport, 16 trips at ₦5,000 | ₦80,000 |
| Total | ₦750,000 |
Femi and his two sisters in the US split it equally, ₦250,000 each. They agree that the centre is paid directly each month in advance against its invoice, transport money goes to his mother separately, and a separate fund holds one extra month's cost for a hospital admission.
Paying the hospital directly
- Pay the centre's account against its invoice, with your parent's name and hospital number in the narration.
- Ask whether it offers a monthly or multi-session package; some centres price packages lower, and prepaying protects your parent from being turned away.
- Keep each receipt; they help if you claim your parent as a dependant or need to show support.
- For US tax, the IRS Form 709 instructions say gift tax does not apply to amounts paid on someone's behalf for medical care, and that the payment must be to the care provider; the passage we read does not say whether a foreign provider qualifies. Paying the centre directly is the cleaner route. Information only, not tax advice.
See also paying Nigerian hospital bills directly and claiming parents as dependants.
Planning for the long term
Ask the nephrologist early about transplant assessment, both in Nigeria and abroad, and what it would cost, so the family can compare the options with real numbers. Whatever you decide, review the monthly budget every quarter.
Sharing the cost fairly among siblings
Dialysis can run for years, so a split that feels fine in the first month may not last. Agree it in writing: each person's share, the date it is due, who pays the centre, and what happens if someone loses a job. A shared spreadsheet of invoices and payments, updated monthly, keeps everyone informed. If one sibling lives near your parent and gives time instead of money (driving to sessions, attending reviews), recognise that in the split.
Questions for the first consultation
- How many sessions a week, and for how long before a review?
- Which tests are needed and how often?
- What does an admission cost if there is a complication?
- Is your parent a candidate for a transplant assessment?
Ask the centre, too, how it handles a missed payment. Some centres will continue treatment and invoice later; others will not start a session until it is paid. Knowing the rule in advance tells you how large a reserve your family needs, and whether paying a month ahead is worth it.
Where Pryme fits
From a multicurrency account you can pay the centre in naira each month, with the rate and fee shown first, and keep a receipt for each payment. A naira Savings Box can hold the reserve month. In Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt, pharmacies are among the sectors in the Spaces pilot.
Questions people ask
How much does dialysis cost in Nigeria per month?
It depends on the number of sessions prescribed and the centre's prices. Ask for the centre's written tariff and price sessions, consumables, drugs, tests and transport for a month.
Does NHIA or an HMO cover dialysis?
Ask the HMO in writing what it covers, how many sessions, where and with what co-payment. The NHIA lists accredited HMOs on its website.
Can I pay a Nigerian hospital directly from the US?
Yes. Pay the hospital's account against its invoice, with your parent's name and hospital number in the narration, and keep the receipt.
Is paying my mother's dialysis a gift for US tax?
The Form 709 instructions say medical payments are excluded when paid to the care provider. They do not address foreign providers in the passage we read; ask a tax adviser.
Sources
- IRS: Instructions for Form 709 (2025) · accessed Oct 2026
- NHIA: Accredited Health Maintenance Organisations · accessed Oct 2026
- IRS: Frequently asked questions on gift taxes · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.