Prof. Titus Ibekwe, an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) surgeon at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, has called for a pragmatic policy to regulate medical and health tourism in Nigeria.
He made the call in an interview with the Armada News on Sunday in Abuja.
Ibekwe is also the National Secretary of Otorhinolaryngological Society of Nigeria.
Otorhinolaryngology is a surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with conditions of the ear, nose, and throat, and related structures of the head and neck.
He attributed the decadence in the country’s health system to the huge amount of funds being taken abroad to access healthcare services.
The don emphasised that if such policy was introduced it would encourage well meaning Nigerians to invest in the nation’s healthcare system thereby raising it to acceptable standard that would as well attract foreign investment.
The don said such effort would further reverse health tourism and reposition the country as destination point.
According to him, government should give the health sector priority attention in terms of investment through the policy.
“Nigerians will then have recourse not to seek medical attention outside the country,” he said
Ibekwe noted that majority of Nigerians who travel abroad and boost foreign economy, while accessing treatment do that for lack of confidence in the country’s health system.
The expert further noted that others do that simply because the sponsorship comes from the government.
“We have qualified professionals in all fields of medicine in Nigeria to provide the requisite services. These doctors and medical personnel are acclaimed the world best when given the enabling environment and facilities.
“A lot of our rich personnel run to America, Europe and India, among other countries, when they are bitten by mosquito to spend resources that should have been used to develop our health institutions. This is highly regrettable.
“We should depend on what we have rather than slashing our lean resources abroad.
“Expertise lacking in the country should be imported to render such treatments here, and through this means, technological transfer can be seamlessly transferred.
“We have the gifted hands, brains and manpower; what we lack is the facilities.
“The only way to curb the menace of medical tourism and to boost the nation’s health institutions is to set up policy to restrict and regulate such practices,” Ibekwe said.