- It is sad that successive governments keep paying lip service to the health sector
Of course, medical tourism doesn’t come cheap. But the information that Nigerians spend more than $15bn yearly to seek medical treatment abroad shows just how expensive medical tourism can be.
An American physician, Stephen Hunt of the University of Pennsylvania, gave an insight into the considerable amount of money Nigerian leaders and other individuals spend annually on medical tourism. He told journalists at the University of Ibadan, Oyo State, on September 14: “We are in the Department of Radiology, UCH, and had a conference in UCH last week where there were physicians from the US to start interventional radiotherapy training. More than $15bn is spent yearly by Nigerians to travel abroad for medical reasons. We can reduce that if people are trained here so they won’t have to spend a lot of money. When they travel, they are not just paying for the medical service; they are also paying for food, accommodation and flight. It won’t be that expensive if it can be treated in Nigeria.”
The situation is complicated by the reality that a large number of medical doctors continue to leave the country for greener pastures abroad because of the poor healthcare system, demoralising remuneration and deteriorating hospital facilities. The exodus of doctors has escalated in the last two years, according to an investigative report. Nigerian doctors continue to pursue professional and material fulfillment in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
For example, Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in Lagos State, Dr Saliu Oseni, was quoted as saying: “It will be difficult to give a total figure of doctors that have left the service of the Lagos State Government since 2017, but to be conservative, no fewer than 50 to 60 doctors left the system every six months. Some of them leave for greener pastures abroad.”
Also, in Kaduna State, a 2018 survey showed that, in less than a year, no fewer than 21 doctors left at least one hospital for other countries, or greener pastures elsewhere in the country, because of bad conditions of service. The NMA First Vice-President, Dr Mingeh Tijo, said: “On the average, studies have shown that about 700 doctors leave the country every year.” Public hospitals, which serve the majority of the population, are at the centre of the crisis.
There may well be a connection between medical tourism by Nigerians and the remarkable exodus of Nigerian doctors. Medical travellers seek a better health system because of their health needs, just as medical doctors seek a better health system because of their professional and material needs. Those who seek healthcare abroad believe they would benefit from “most advanced technology, better-quality care for medically necessary procedures and quicker access for medically necessary procedures.” A healthcare system that cannot sustain doctors is likely to encourage those who need healthcare to look elsewhere.
It is said that health is wealth. This explains why Nigerian medical travellers are willing to spend so much to get healthcare abroad, particularly when they can’t get the desired healthcare in the country. It is disappointing that the authorities have allowed this situation to persist. Indeed, people in power encourage medical tourism by their bad example of travelling abroad for medical purposes at the slightest opportunity.
The exodus of doctors is a sad reflection of the state of public hospitals in the country. The situation calls for increased government expenditure in the health sector to provide an enabling environment for the country’s doctors. It also calls for a better economy. It is a shame that Nigerian-trained doctors are forced to take their expertise to foreign lands to the detriment of their compatriots.
The development of the health system is a critical factor in the country’s pursuit of progress. There is no excuse for neglecting the health system.
