NMA asserts Nigeria’s healthcare facilities can curb medical tourism

National President of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Prof. Bala Audu, on Friday, said that the country is endowed with effective health facilities capable of discouraging spate of medical tourism.

Audu spoke at a news conference in Abeokuta, as part of activities of NMA’s National Executive Council meeting which began on Monday.

The president noted that inspite of challenges, Nigeria currently offers high-end medical care in various public and private health institutions.

He added that the medical facilities was not just to Nigerians, but to patients coming from other parts of the world.

He underscored the need to create awareness about the facilities available in Nigeria, so as to foster utility of same rather seeking reprieve abroad.

“We have identified that inspite of the challenges we face, Nigeria currently offers high-end medical care in various public and private health institutions, not just to Nigerians, but to patients coming from other parts of the world.

“Nigeria has the great potential to reduce medical tourism to its barest minimum by creating adequate awareness to Nigerians about the facilities available within the country so that they can take advantage of it.

“Beyond that, we also have the potentials to actually bring in flow of both financial and other economical benefits to this country by revising medical tourism in favour of this country,” he said.

He said that this can be achieved by making patients in other parts of the world, aware of the services that are available in Nigeria.

According to him, it is important for the Nigerian government to maintain its health workforce, particularly specialised and sub-specialised medical and dental professionals who had acquired great skills that are in high demand by patients from different parts of the world.

Besides, he also underscored the need for Nigeria to create a mutually beneficial workplace for doctors who provide services and for those who employ the services of these doctors, by ensuring improved work packages

Audu, consequently, called on the federal government to ensure implementation of the memorandum of understanding with Nigerian doctors to ensure improved outputs in the healthcare sector.

” This will produce improvements in the total outcome of our health population indices,” he said.