Nigerian music video director ThankGod Omori, popularly known as TG Omori, has opened up about the financial challenges he faced while battling kidney failure.
Omori said the cost of dialysis can become overwhelming, especially for patients who need treatment several times a week while waiting for a kidney transplant.
The director spoke during an interview on the Afropolitan podcast, published on YouTube on Wednesday.
TG Omori explains dialysis costs
According to Omori, dialysis can cost between N50,000 and N70,000 per session at some hospitals.
He said the amount was significantly higher at the private facility where he received treatment, where he sometimes paid between N150,000 and N200,000 per session.
Omori explained that some patients may require up to three dialysis sessions every week.
He said this could push the weekly cost of treatment 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,” he said.
The video director said such expenses would be extremely difficult for low-income earners to afford.
Transplant journey took months
Omori also recalled the difficulties he experienced while waiting for a kidney transplant.
He said it took about nine months to find a donor, before his brother eventually agreed to donate one of his kidneys.
However, Omori said doctors initially told him that his body was not accepting the donated kidney.
“The doctor said my body wasn’t accepting it, that it didn’t match,” he recalled.
He said doctors made another attempt to help his body accept the transplant before deciding that further medical intervention was necessary.
Omori also acknowledged the sacrifice made by his brother, who now lives with one kidney after donating the other.
“N1m salary can’t serve you”
Reflecting on the financial pressure associated with kidney failure treatment, Omori said even a person earning N1 million every month could struggle to keep up with the expenses.
“So, automatically, if your salary is even one million naira a month, it can’t serve you,” he said.
He estimated that the cost of dialysis and related treatment while waiting for a transplant could run into tens of millions of naira.
Omori said his experience changed his understanding of the importance of financial resources during a serious illness.
“Even though money can’t buy happiness, money can still buy some time,” he said.
TG Omori underwent kidney transplant
Omori publicly disclosed his kidney transplant journey in 2024.
He said at the time that his only brother donated one of his kidneys to help save his life.
The director also shared a photograph from his hospital treatment with the caption: “Keep my spirit alive.”
His latest comments have again highlighted the financial pressure faced by patients who require prolonged dialysis and other forms of kidney treatment.
