On Thursday, November 5, Dr Nkeoma Adikaibe disclosed on Facebook that seven out of ten women she saw this week suffering from chronic illness have been abandoned by their husbands as their health worsened.
The physician, who regularly treats patients with long‑term medical conditions, said the abandonment pattern emerged across the cases she reviewed. She emphasized that 70 % of the women reported losing the marital support they had previously been promised.
‘One of the hardest parts of living with a chronic disease is losing the support of a partner who once vowed to stand by you through better or worse,’ she wrote.
Spousal abandonment can intensify both the physical and psychological burden of chronic disease, leading to poorer treatment adherence and greater social isolation. Nigerian health experts have repeatedly warned that social support is a critical factor in outcomes for patients with long‑term conditions.
Why is partner support critical?
A caring spouse often helps with medication management, attends clinic appointments, and assists with daily caregiving tasks. In the absence of that assistance, women may encounter heightened financial strain and reduced access to essential medical care, worsening their prognosis.