Nigeria Set To Become Destination For Medical Tourism, Reverse Brain
Drain – Minister
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said
that with the establishment of world class healthcare facilities in
Nigeria, the country is set to become a destination for medical
tourism, in addition to reversing the brain drain in the health
sector.
The Minister, who spoke after a media tour of Duchess International
Hospital in Lagos on Tuesday, said the world class healthcare
facilities springing up in Nigeria will also curb medical tourism
abroad, conserve foreign reserves and create jobs.
“Today, we are here at the Duchess International Hospital. During the
guided tour, I am sure you all saw that this is indeed a
purpose-built, state-of-the-art, 100-bed hospital, which is aimed at
delivering the highest standard of healthcare, using the most advanced
technology and treatments to provide Nigerians with the best medical
expertise available anywhere in the world,” he said.
Alhaji Mohammed said that according to available records, Nigerians
spend between $1.2 billion and $1.6 billion on medical tourism
annually, a development he described as a huge drain on the country’s
foreign reserves.
He expressed delight that many of the doctors at Duchess International
Hospital, a subsidiary of Reddington Hospital, are Nigerians who had
trained and worked abroad, but who have now decided to return home
because of the availability of healthcare facilities with standard
equipment and a good work environment.
The Minister said the Federal Government, through the Central Bank of
Nigeria and the Bank of Industry, provided financial support for
Duchess International Hospital, as part of its intervention in the
health sector.
”This is not new. Recall that in the wake of Covid-19, the CBN set up
the N100 billion Healthcare Sector Intervention Fund, now expanded to
N200 billion, to provide credit support for the healthcare sector
through long-term, low-cost financing,” he said, listing other
interventions by the Federal Government, through the Nigerian
Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), as including a total of $22.5
million which was spent in establishing two diagnostic centres in Kano
and Umuahia ($5.5 million each) and the NSIA-LUTH Cancer Centre in
Lagos ($11.5 million)
“The essence of these financial interventions and projects in the
critical healthcare sector is to fast-track the evolvement of world
class healthcare facilities like the Duchess International Hospital.
With that, we can conserve our foreign reserves, earn foreign exchange
for the country, create jobs, reverse brain drain, become a
destination for medical tourists and also ensure affordable and
standard healthcare for Nigerians,” he said.
Alhaji Mohammed commended the management of the hospital
for making their world class services affordable and accessible to
ordinary Nigerians, particularly with the launching of the ‘World Class
Affordable Healthcare Programme that coincided with the visit of the
Minister and the over 30 journalists who accompanied him on the tour.
“With what we have seen here today and the programme that has just
been launched, Nigerians can now get access to affordable and world
class treatment in whatever is ailing them in many areas, including
emergency medicine, women’s health, paediatric care, cardiovascular
medicine, kidney dialysis, dental treatment, eye care, etc,” he said.
The Minister said the visit to the hospital was in continuation of the
media tour of the development projects of the Buhari Administration,
disclosing that in the past 40 days, he had taken the media on a tour
of the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Project as well as the
Dangote Fertilizer Company in Lagos; the Lekki Deep Seaport and the
Duchess Hospital, in addition to the tour of road, rail, bridge and
other projects across the country.
”The essence of these tours is to showcase what this Administration
has achieved in the various sectors. Even where the project is
private-sector driven, the Federal Government has either provided the
enabling environment or, in some cases, supported such projects with
funding,” he said.
In his remarks, the Chief Executive Officer of the hospital, Dr.
Tokunbo Shitta-Bey, who conducted the Minister round the hospital,
said the multi-specialist hospital, which is already attracting foreigners
coming for treatment, is poised to make its advanced
elite service affordable and accessible to Nigerians, who would pay
only N5,000 for registration and 5,000 for consultation.
He said the hospital, which was commissioned 22 Oct. 2021 by the Vice
President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, is committed to immediate and open
access to emergency and critical care services, as well as a wide
range of specialist-led services and treatment.
The Minister and his team were conducted round the various departments
of the hospital, including the Cardiology Centre, Eye care clinic,
Learning and Development Centre, ENT Department, Surgical and
Gynecology Ward, Fully-automated lab, Intensive and Critical care
unit, Endoscopy unit, Women and Children Ward, Dialysis Centre, Dental
Unit, Pharmacy, Surgical Theatre (Modular and automated), Radiology
Department and Emergency Room.
Segun Adeyemi
Special Assistant to the President (Media)
Office of the Minister of Information and Culture
Lagos
11 May 2022
