‘Nigeria Loses N175b Annually To Medical Tourism’
A former Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu on Thursday, said that not less than N175 billion is currently being lost annually to medical tourism in Nigeria.
He said this at the Faculty Week and Scientific Conference of Faculty of Clinical Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, noting that the wasted fund is more than 50 percent of the proposed total budget for 2018 for the federal health sector.
Harping on the theme, ‘Medical Tourism in Nigeria’, the former Minister noted that the health sector is being denied the much needed funding which according to him, is affecting the health sector.
He noted that when the health sector is vitalized and developed and adequately patronized, it will boost the economy of the country.
“As outbound medical tourism gradually becomes the preference of patients, the local sector loses the confidence of the populace resulting in low esteem and loss of morale among the health personnel,” he stated.
He called on the federal government to support the health sectors by providing standard medical equipment that will be equivalent to those used in foreign countries, so that people will patronize medical doctors in Nigeria.
In her remarks, the Dean, Faculty of Clinical Sciences, OAU, Ife, Professor Bernice Adegbehingbe, appreciated the past faculty Deans, Vice-Dean, HODs for keeping the flag flying all through the year.
Adegbehingbe stressed that the faculty’s week and conference theme was carefully selected because it is needed at this time that Nigeria medical tourism constitutes a threat to delivery health care services.
She said that Nigeria medical treatment is suffering at the detriment of foreign medical treatment that provides safety with high quality treatment.
The Dean called on stakeholders in the health system to deliberate on how medical tourism would become a source of income generation for the nation rather than a drain on Nigeria’s economy.
Adegbehingbe canvassed for collaborative efforts of public private partnerships in funding highly sophisticated diagnosis tools, saying development of innovative procedures and treatment must be encouraged.
The Dean explained further that a lot of advancement has been introduced into health care delivery services across the nation, saying awareness is generally low due to restriction on advertisements.
She urged the government to allow medical practitioners to educate Nigerians on services as obtained in foreign medical centres where Nigerians go for treatment.
