This signals hope that with the right atmosphere, Nigeria can regain its glory in heathcare
About six months ago, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), convened its inaugural Healthcare and Medical Expo in Ikeja, Lagos, to address, among other issues, the challenges of medical tourism by some Nigerians over the years. They addressed the issue and its impact on not just the health sector but on the Nigerian economy, given how capital intensive medical tourism can be, especially to a developing economy like Nigeria.
The NMA President, Prof. Bala Audu, declared that there was an urgent need to reverse medical tourism. In his words, “We want Nigerians to seek medical care within the country, and attract patients from other countries to come to Nigeria for medical care. Nobody wants to invest in a space that’s not profitable. We need to ensure doctors are appreciated for their training and receive correct remuneration”.
The NMA President and his members must have been elated to hear an excited Vice President Kashim Shettima claim that Nigeria is experiencing a rise in reverse medical tourism, with patients from the United States and other countries seeking kidney transplants in the country, due to affordability and highly skilled medical experts.
He made the statement during a courtesy visit by the Nigerian Association of Nephrology, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, ahead of the association’s 37th Scientific Conference. Shettima said that the growing reputation of Nigerian hospitals in providing world-class kidney care was already reaching the global audience.
“There is reverse medical tourism these days fundamentally because of the level of care at some of our hospitals,” he said. “Recently, 13 patients from the United States came to Nigeria for kidney transplants at Zenith Medical and Kidney Centre because it is much cheaper here, and they receive the same level of expertise available anywhere in the world” said an excited Vice President.
We commend Zenith Medical and Kidney Centre for flying the nation’s flag with world-class staff and equipment good enough to make them a referral place to come to, even for foreigners. This, to us, is evidence that with the right funding and highly skilled manpower, the best healthcare can be obtained in Nigeria, once more.
This case is not an isolated or new one. In the 1970s and ’80s, Nigeria was a great recipient of medical tourists. A place like the University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan, was a destination to medical tourists, including those from the oil-rich Middle Eastern bloc.
The nation must try to regain that position in the healthcare sector.
While we celebrate this feat, it is apposite to remember that Nigeria’s budgetary allocation to the health sector has not been admirable for decades now. The 2024 budgetary
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allocation was 4.6 per cent, as against the 15 per cent recommended in the Abuja Declaration. Even though the the 2025 budget was a bit better with 5.18 per cent of the annual budget allocated to the health sector, there is still room for improvement.
At least, our teaching hospitals must return to being the centres of excellence they had hitherto been. This can only happen with better funding that can power research and investment in medical infrastructure and training.
Economic and health experts insist that Nigeria’s economic growth is inseparably linked to development in the health sector. The incessant exodus of highly skilled medical professionals and patients seeking medical care abroad is an ill-wind that blows no one any good.
While we celebrate the fact that Nigeria now attracts health tourists, we advise that the country must seize this opportunity to upgrade the health sector generally. The political leaders on their part must also be seen to be owning the home healthcare services because they represent the best of the country and their patronage is enough to make them Nigeria’s healthcare ambassadors. It would be contradictory to celebrate foreign medical tourists at home while our leaders are medical tourists to other countries.
Beyond the recently reported cases, there have been other people coming for medical tourism due to the low cost and expertise displayed by our medical personnel. Nigerians are some of the best professionals in different medical fields across the world. They only need well-funded and secure medical facilities to come back and invest their skills and earn more foreign exchange for the country.
We feel that a collaborative effort between governments and the private sector can greatly improve the health sector. With the right environment, even foreign investors sure of a return on investment would come rushing to invest in the sector, thereby creating jobs and impacting on the people positively.
Medical tourism is a huge foreign exchange earner. India, UK, Canada and the United States are great beneficiaries of medical tourism and this impacts on their economies positively.
The government should also realise that the Zenith Medical and Kidney Centre is a private sector investment, with possibly no government funding. Medicare is expensive and government must work with the private sector to have more of such specialised centres of excellence that can attract Nigerian and other medical tourists. Most of the government-owned primary and secondary health facilities across the country are not well funded, and this impacts on the health of citizens. There must be more budgetary allocation to the health sector and government must be deliberate in making investment by the private sector very attractive.
The good news from the Zenith hospital is a very encouraging one as other investors can now see the possibilities of return on investment. Given the viability of medical education in the country, there must be a deliberate effort to train and keep the medical personnel being trained at very subsidised rates in federal universities at home, to contribute to the country’s development. The lure to go abroad to practice is one that comes from lack of facilities and good renumeration, having spent years studying.
Many Nigerians in the diaspora would equally want to practice at home but are often discouraged by the poor infrastructure and low pay.
As the saying goes, a healthy nation is a wealthy nation. If Nigeria believes in this axiom, it is then a logical step to upgrade the heath sector in a way that, instead of celebrating just Zenith Hospital, we can celebrate many others in other fields of medicine. The good thing is that expanding the tourism sector through investment in healthcare is almost a low hanging fruit. The enthusiasm this report has generated must be the incentive for a more vibrant health sector.
