Still on Nigeria’s poor healthcare services sector…

By: Temitope Oladipo

In recent times, Nigeria’s health sector has faced numerous challenges, many of which stem from government shortcomings. These include the mass exodus of healthcare professionals (brain drain), inadequate and poorly maintained medical facilities, poor funding and incessant strikes in both federal and state-owned hospitals and, to make matters worse, insufficient remuneration for medical personnel.

The health sector should be a top priority, given the essential services it provides to the population. Its importance to any nation cannot be overstated. When a country neglects this sector, it risks exposing its citizens to severe and potentially devastating living conditions. Therefore, it is the government’s responsibility to ensure that healthcare services are adequate, efficient, and effectively delivered to all.

With the challenges that have lingered for long, the answer to the long-awaited question has finally surface as to why the Nigerian Medical sector keep deteriorating.

The World Health Organization has revealed that Nigeria loses $1.2 billion to medical tourism yearly due to what it described as fragility of the country’s medical sector. This development was not unconnected with the shocks often experienced by the country’s health system. The country’s health system is faced with acute shocks such as epidemics and pandemics, as well as chronic stressors identified as poor funding and persistent strikes and this results in about $1.2 billion lost from the Nigerian economy to medical tourism yearly.

The recent disclosure by the World Health Organization (WHO) resonates with statements made by Femi Adesina, former Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari. Adesina noted that late President Buhari might not have survived his health challenges had he relied solely on Nigeria’s healthcare system. He defended the choice to continue treatment abroad, citing both the medical expertise available overseas and the limitations of Nigeria’s health infrastructure at the time. This development prompts a critical question: who holds responsibility for the persistent weaknesses in the nation’s healthcare sector?

This development follows a recent in-depth analysis of data from the Central Bank of Nigeria, which reveals that Nigerians spent at least $29.29 billion on medical treatment abroad during the eight-year tenure of former President Muhammadu Buhari. The figure averages out to approximately $3.6 billion annually over the period. The data highlights the extent of Nigeria’s reliance on foreign healthcare, with CBN records showing a consistent outflow of funds for medical purposes each year—even amid domestic economic challenges and persistent dollar shortages.

The $1.2 billion drained annually from the Nigerian economy due to medical tourism is a critical issue that cannot be overlooked. If this significant sum were properly harnessed and directed toward addressing key challenges within the healthcare system, it could potentially revitalize the ailing sector. A logical starting point would be improving the remuneration and benefits of health workers—a key factor behind the exodus of medical professionals from the country. Enhancing compensation packages could help curb the migration of Nigerian doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers seeking better opportunities abroad.

Once a source of national pride, government-owned hospitals in Nigeria were renowned for their cutting-edge medical equipment and highly skilled personnel, rivaling top healthcare institutions around the world. But today, that legacy has faded. Across the country, many of these public health facilities now struggle with crumbling infrastructure, inadequate equipment, and poor management. Meanwhile, those in power, tasked with overseeing these institutions, routinely seek medical care abroad, spending an estimated $1.2 billion annually on foreign healthcare. This trend not only drains vital resources from Nigeria’s health sector but also leaves ordinary citizens dependent on underfunded and neglected hospitals, many of which appear to have been abandoned by the very system meant to support them.

On July 23, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) suspended medical services nationwide because the government has failed to meet its critical demands. These demands are essential for the survival of Nigeria’s healthcare system and the well-being of medical professionals across the country. We don’t need prophets to tell us who will suffer most from this industrial action. It’s the Nigerian people who will bear the brunt of it.

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Must we continue to pour billions into other countries through medical tourism while our own health sector collapses? Isn’t it time we invested those resources into rebuilding our healthcare system? Can we, for once, prioritise our own and offer our medical professionals competitive remuneration and create conditions that encourage them to stay and serve in Nigeria? Let us channel these vast funds into equipping our government hospitals with world-class medical tools and infrastructure. Let’s make this change, not just for ourselves, but for future generations.

Do this for Nigeria.

Do this for the generations to come.

God bless Nigeria.

Oladipo, a broadcast Journalist with New Frontiers TV, sent this from Ibadan, Oyo State.