Experts say poor health infrastructure, low standard of patient care, absence of world-class hospitals and diagnostic centres, the stunted growth of the healthcare system and incessant strike actions by medical personnel are major factors that compel Nigerians to seek medical attention abroad. Statistics reveal that over 5,000 Nigerians visit India and countries in Europe and America monthly in search of medical care.
These medical trips come at huge costs to the Nigerian economy. The capital flight alone is a humongous cost on a nation that is struggling to meet other social needs. It also adds pressure on the country’s foreign exchange market. Figures released by the Indian High Commission in 2013, for instance, showed that 47 percent of Nigerians visiting India in the year 2012 did so to get medical attention, while the remaining 53 percent did so for other reasons. The 47 percent of Nigerians who visited India for medical purposes amounted to 18,000 visas issued, spending N41.6 billion in scarce foreign exchange in the process.
Like other sectors of the economy which have suffered systemic decay over the years, Nigeria’s health sector is in a deplorable condition with little attention paid to it. This has resulted in broken-down equipment, lack of medications and poor conditions of hospitals. All these have combined to create loss of confidence in Nigeria’s health sector even where there are qualified medical personnel.
The health sector is not different from the education sector which has compelled several Nigerian students to seek learning abroad, including in neighboring countries of Ghana and Benin Republic, with foreign exchange expenses also involved.
Apart from absence of many specialist hospitals, the increase in the number of Nigerians travelling abroad for medical attention is also informed by the high prevalence of hitherto uncommon diseases, such as cancer and diabetes. According to World Health Organisation (WHO), over 100,000 Nigerians are diagnosed of cancer annually and about 80,000 die from the disease. The Nigerian cancer death ratio of 4 in 5 is one of the worst in the world.
Unfortunately, radiotherapy which is one of the essential treatments needed to manage cases of cancer, is unavailable in most tertiary hospitals in Nigeria. Only four public hospitals and one private hospital have such facilities in the country and, regrettably, some of these facilities are said to be non-functional at the moment, a situation that encourages patients to seek attention abroad.
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Kidney failure and diabetes are other strongly emerging health concerns in Nigeria as no fewer than six million Nigerians are estimated to be living with diabetes. Medical experts say diabetes can damage the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys and nerves. The disease is expected to account for 52 percent of deaths this year. And like cancer, many Nigerians are at risk of diabetes because of their lifestyle, eating habits and detached attitude towards comprehensive and routine medical check-ups.
In the face of this, we strongly believe that time is now to halt this trend. Given the undeniable presence of previously uncommon diseases among us, the government must now focus attention on the health sector with a view to creating specialist hospitals and building local expert capacity to tackle these new threats so as to stem the tide of overseas medical tourism. It is regrettable that Nigerians spend $200 million annually on cancer-related medical tourism, sometimes with poor outcomes because of late detection. Incidentally, $200 million is the approximate amount needed to establish three Comprehensive Cancer Centres (at an estimated cost of $63 million per unit) or to acquire 300 Mobile Cancer Centres (at the cost of about $600,000 per unit).
We align with experts that this trend can be reversed, and that reversing the trend must be holistic and imperative, with the aim of developing the private sector healthcare, in line with the five-point agenda of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), an arm of the World Bank.
There is also need to improve access to capital, develop and enforce quality standards, mobilise public and donor money to the private sector, modify local policies and regulations to foster the role of the private sector and foster risk pooling programmes (health insurance).
More importantly, unlocking the market potential for health services in the country will create an enabling environment for the private sector to grow, thereby ensuring Nigeria itself becomes a destination for medical tourism, rather than a source of exodus.
