Nigerians spent roughly $2.38 million on international healthcare services between January and June 2024, The PUNCH’s findings reveal.
Data from the Central Bank of Nigeria’s sectoral utilisation of foreign exchange report confirms this expenditure on health-related and social services.
A breakdown of the report shows: $2.3 million in January, no expenditure in February, $0.01 million in March, none in April, $0.05 million in May, and $0.02 million in June.
Comparing the first half of 2024 to the second half of 2023, which saw $0.69 million spent on foreign healthcare, indicates a $1.69 million increase.
However, this expenditure represents a $0.75 million decrease from the first half of 2023, when $3.13 million was spent.
The recent launch of the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority’s healthcare expansion program aims to reverse the trend of outbound medical tourism.
President Bola Tinubu initiated this program, which includes retraining 120,000 frontline health workers, to enhance domestic healthcare capabilities and reduce reliance on foreign medical services.
Professor Tanimola Akande, a Public Health expert at the University of Ilorin and former National Chairman of the Association of Public Health Physicians of Nigeria, shared his insights on Nigeria’s medical tourism spending. He noted that the rise in medical tourism costs, as reported by the Central Bank of Nigeria, indicates a substantial outflow of hard currency for overseas medical care.
Akande emphasized that medical tourism is primarily driven by Nigeria’s elite, suggesting that investments in high-end private healthcare facilities have not significantly impacted the prevalence of medical tourism. This trend underscores the need for improved healthcare infrastructure and services in Nigeria to curb the desire for foreign medical services.
“The money spent on medical tourism, if channelled to improving local health facilities, will go a long way to reduce medical tourism in Nigeria.
“The government should continue to promote investment in quality healthcare services in Nigeria. The government also needs to do a lot more to reduce the brain drain challenge and provide an enabling environment for high-class quality health care to flourish in Nigeria.”
Source: https://punchng.com/
