Afreximbank-backed Abuja medical centre curbs medical tourism, saves foreign exchange

An Afreximbank-backed $350 million medical centre in Abuja is beginning to chip away at Nigeria’s long-standing dependence on overseas healthcare, offering complex treatments locally at significantly lower costs than in the United States, the United Kingdom and the Middle East, its operators said on Monday.

Anshul Govila, chief operations officer of the African Medical Centre of Excellence (AMCE), speaking in Abuja, said the centre, within its first six months since its June launch, had treated patients who would otherwise have travelled abroad for care, helping to curb medical tourism that costs Nigeria an estimated $2 billion annually.

He noted that the centre was helping Nigeria retain foreign exchange by reducing the need for patients to pay hospitals abroad in foreign currencies, as well as cutting spending on international flights, accommodation and ancillary medical costs.

He explained that, for instance, a procedure priced at about $3,000 in Abuja could cost up to five times more if undertaken in the United States, the United Kingdom, India or Dubai, once hospital bills, airfare and lodging are included. He added that every case treated locally prevents thousands of dollars from leaving the country and reduces pressure on Nigeria’s foreign exchange reserves.

Read also: Reclaiming Africa’s medical tourism legacy: A new era of healthcare excellence

Govila said AMCE’s early impact was notable given how the centre is attracting foreign and expatriate demand. He noted that several patients treated of various complex medical conditions had previously been scheduled for procedures in the US, UK or Egypt before switching to AMCE.

According to him, the centre was already delivering on Afreximbank’s ambition to retain high-value healthcare spending within the country.

Govila also noted that a pillar of the centre’s strategy is affordable cost. He recalled a visit by a senior US-based cardiologist who was surprised by the centre’s pricing. “What he would charge around £15,000 for in the US, we were doing for less than $3,000,” he said.

He stressed that lower prices did not mean lower standards. According to Govila, maintaining quality requires experienced clinicians, robust clinical governance and meticulous logistics, particularly for specialised items that must be imported.

In his remarks, Brian Deaver, Chief Executive Officer, AMCE, informed that the centre has successfully performed open-heart surgeries, and has delivered complex, high-risk care with outcomes that exceed international standards.

“Just Friday, we performed a very risky procedure on a 60-year-old male who was literally hours away from not just a heart attack, but the question was going to be how bad it was going to be. We were able to save that patient and he returned home on Saturday.

“We’re doing some very complex and life-saving treatments here at the AMCE. And just as significantly, we’ve carried out the first-ever stereotactic radiosurgery procedure ever performed in West Africa, and one could argue East Africa and Central Africa as well. Not as a demonstration, not as a pilot case or a test, but as a fully operational clinical service for real patients who would otherwise have had to travel and leave the continent to receive their care”, Deaver said.

Also speaking, Aisha Umar, CMO, AMCE informed that within a period of just weeks, the centre successfully conducted more than ten interventional cardiac procedures, including coronary angiographies, elective coronary stenting, pacemaker implantation, and primary coronary intervention.

“This momentum culminated in our first elective open heart surgery and a coronary artery bypass graft, which was performed successfully with a fully operational heart lab supporting the entire process, and we have since carried out more open heart surgeries.

“This represents a major step forward in the availability of advanced cardiac services in Nigeria, and this will reduce medical tourism across Africa”, Umar said.

She also informed that the centre will begin stem cell transplantation programme in early 2026.