The recent increase in the retirement age from 60 to 65 years for doctors and healthcare workers in the country has been hailed as a welcome development by critical stakeholders in the sector. But it is also our hope that medical practitioners will examine all the issues impinging on healthcare delivery in the country, including the increasing rate of medical tourism on which the nation is losing hundreds of billions of Naira annually. What drives the compulsion to go abroad to seek medical help for those who can afford it has to do with excellence. People troop to places where the standard of healthcare delivery reflects the general way of doing things. We therefore hope that the various associations in the health sector will also look at this factor.

There is a psychological aspect to seeking cures. For the many Nigerians who travel abroad to seek medical solutions to whatever ails them, they already have a basic belief that Saudi, German, English, American or even Indian doctors will, in their care, reflect the values that make those nations great. Even in terminal cases, the dignity of going to die in these places is satisfying enough for the ?colonial? mindset of affluent Nigerians. That perhaps explains why it has become fashionable for some colourful obituaries to announce that the deceased passed away in an American or German hospital.

The implication of such a state of affairs is that it does not matter how many health institutions we build, especially in the public sector. For as long as the standard of practice in those facilities reflects our general Nigerian way of ?anything goes?, we might just be wasting resources. More unfortunate is the fact that the problem is most pronounced in our public sector health facilities where some fancy equipment is acquired and allowed to break down a few months after commissioning.

The aggregate amount being spent by rich Nigerians on medical bills abroad is so staggering as to make domestic investment in healthcare a sound business proposition. Our public policy should be driven from the perspective of canvassing this sector as one worthy of increased private investment and government support with the assurance that such ventures would be profitable. There needs to be a commitment to supporting investors especially in the tertiary healthcare delivery sector through more attractive credit windows by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Health is no less important than agriculture, power, aviation, etc., that have been granted massive financial concessions.

Like in most other sectors, the challenge of healthcare delivery in Nigeria also comes with tremendous opportunities. Last year, then minister of state for health who now handles the education portfolio, Tunji Alausa, said people are travelling from Europe, India, and sub-Saharan Africa to access healthcare services in Nigeria. ?Go to the hospital in Lagos, people are coming from India, sub-Saharan Africa, and even Europe to get health care in Nigeria,? the minister said. ?Getting surgical operations is cheaper; you will be glad to know that today we have almost 900 aesthetic hospitals all around Nigeria. People are coming to get plastic surgeries.?

It would require proper planning and the coming together of all the stakeholders to take advantage of this situation. Let us encourage the establishment of good health facilities, preferably as a collaborative business venture with experts from nations whose professionals have excelled in this area. The point here about medical tourism is that we simply do not have a hospitality industry nor have we done anything significant to make our country attractive to sensible visitors. Tourism thrives on decency, security, basic essential services and infrastructure that encourage free movement of people and backpacks. (THISDAY Editorial)

Update news