International Management and Health System Expert, Dr. Jerry Ohikere has said that Nigerians are increasingly seeking medical care abroad due to lack of trust in Nigeria’s healthcare system.
He said this in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Wednesday.
“One of the key reasons people go abroad is a lack of trust in our healthcare system and what it can offer”, he stated.
Adding, Dr. Ohikere noted that while Nigeria has skillful healthcare practitioners, there is no dependable and stable health system in the country.
“We have skillful medical professionals, that is undoubtedly true, but what people are looking for is a proper, dependable system, which we do not have in Nigeria. Often, Nigerians seeking help abroad end up encountering Nigerian doctors over there, which says the problem is more environmental than a lack of expertise.”
Commenting on recent CBN statistics and Minister of Health Professor Mohammad Ali Pate’s claim that Nigeria shows signs of reverse medical tourism, Dr. Ohikere said:
“I don’t think I can balance that. What the Minister is saying cannot be balanced with what the CBN is saying. The general trend we all know is that a lot of people are moving out of Nigeria to seek medical help. Except, of course, if the Minister is referring to people coming from abroad to seek traditional or local health solutions. I really don’t think I can balance it because the people going abroad for medical tourism are those who can afford it; they will not seek it in Nigeria. Of course, some of us are still patronizing what we have here, maybe because we cannot afford to go abroad, or some of us truly believe in our health system.”
Addressing how the medical tourism trend can be reversed, Dr. Ohikere highlighted possible measures to adopt.
“People in authority need to ‘walk the talk’. If you are budgeting 200 million and releasing 30 – something million, that’s a problem. Healthcare systems and government institutions should receive priority.
“To reverse this, there is a spectrum of things to do: Invest in Infrastructure. I saw that Afreximbank and London Hospital want to invest in a medical center of excellence in Nigeria. We should have these in all regions to measure up with foreign institutions Private Sector Engagement. You cannot depend solely on the government to grow the economy. We need to encourage heavy private sector investors, the same people building refineries and cement factories to invest in health as a form of patriotism”, he urged.
The health system expert further added that the government’s current efforts are insufficient to curb medical tourism in Nigeria.
“That is not enough. What you described is not for the demography of people going abroad; it is just to improve the primary and secondary systems. And I actually doubt the accuracy of the reality on the ground. If you want to reverse medical tourism, your target must be the high earners, the super-rich demography. You do that by building pockets of excellence with people of excellence”, he explained.
Dr. Ohikere also said misdiagnosis results from poor investment in diagnostic infrastructure in Nigeria, hinting on possible solutions to address the issue.
“Misdiagnosis is a result of lack of investment in diagnostic infrastructure. Medical technology has advanced to make things simple, but reversing this requires coordination and seriousness. It also points to leadership. Every successful Nigerian president from Yar’Adua to Buhari to the current one has sought medical tourism abroad. The President should build a center of excellence at the Aso Rock Hospital. If the government isn’t taking the lead, it won’t encourage the private sector. We should have policies that discourage government officials from seeking care abroad”, he advised.
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