Nigeria entering the medical tourism field?

Last week, the Nigerian Minister of State for Health, Alhaji Sule Bello, stated that the Federal Government is planning to upgrade three teaching hospitals in Nigeria to an international standard, where citizens from other countries could come for medical attention.

The condition of the hospitals and clinics in Nigeria are widely debated. The minister states; “It is not that our medical facilities are bad. But even if you bring the best clinic to Nigeria, rich Nigerians will prefer going overseas for treatment.” When speaking with a newsman in Gusau, in the Zamfara State, the minister said that the Federal Government is planning to upgrade three teaching hospitals in the country to an international standard, where citizens from other countries could come for medical attention. These hospitals will be Ibadan, Enugu and Zaria. The expected cost will be N15 billion, an amount that has already been captured in the supplementary budget.

Nigeria is the most recent example of a developing country acknowledging the potential in the medical tourism industry. This is a welcome initiative in Africa, which, apart from South Africa, is still far behind other regions, such as South East Asia and Eastern Europe when it comes to attracting international patients.