Africa loses an estimated $10 billion annually to medical tourism, with Nigeria alone accounting for $2 billion, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) revealed at its Healthcare and Medical Expo in Abuja. The event was held under the theme, “Reversing Medical Tourism: Africans Investing in Africa.”
Speaking at the event, the president of the NMA, Prof. Bala Mohammed Audu, highlighted that developed countries often recruit Nigerian-trained doctors, while political elites frequently travel abroad for medical services available locally. According to him, due to a lack of awareness, not unavailability, emphasizing that elites seeking healthcare abroad does not mean such services are absent in Nigeria.
Audu stressed that achieving world-class medical services in Nigeria requires strategic investment and an enabling environment, particularly in health financing, to make the healthcare industry competitive globally.
In his keynote address, Tunji Olowolafe, Chancellor of Ekiti State University, stated that reversing medical tourism requires investment in knowledge production, research, and medical education to strengthen local capacity. He said improving faculty development and modern training will allow doctors to compete globally while remaining locally relevant, noting that Nigeria’s medical education already commands international respect.
Olowolafe further observed that brain drain, while weakening local healthcare systems, also validates the quality of Nigerian medical training. He urged increased investment in education to retain and multiply skilled professionals and emphasized that Africa must evolve from a market for foreign medical solutions to a producer of innovative breakthroughs through collaboration among universities, associations, and private investors.
On his part, the Minister of State for Health, Iziaq Salako, revealed that over 30 percent of Nigeria’s annual healthcare budget is lost to medical tourism, describing it as a severe economic and foreign exchange drain.
He concluded that with strategic investments and collaboration, Nigeria could turn the tide on medical tourism and become a destination for quality healthcare in Africa.
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