The disclosure by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) that Nigerians spend $1billion annually on medical tourism is a clear indication of the poor state of the nation’s health sector. The NMA President, Prof. Innocent Ujah, who raised the alarm at a recent lecture by the association, stated that the volume of money involved impacts heavily on the economy and the nation’s healthcare delivery system. He equally identified brain drain as another factor worsening the depleted healthcare resources in developing countries like Nigeria and widening the gap in health inequities worldwide.
There is no doubt that the increasing exodus of Nigerian medical doctors and other health workers to Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom (UK), United States (US) and Canada in search of better work environment, safety and security, is affecting the provision of healthcare in the country. The ugly development has inexorably forced members of the political class and other privileged Nigerians to embark on medical tourism in Europe and America, where medical services are adequate.
Available statistics from NMA indicate that approximately 2000 doctors leave Nigeria annually. Apart from the search for enhanced welfare and job security, the poor state of health facilities in the country and the utter neglect of the sector by the government account for high emigration of our health professionals to foreign countries and the thriving medical tourism by political office holders and other affluent Nigerians.
On August 2, 2021, the Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), embarked on an industrial action that lasted for 63 days, causing disruption of medical services in public health facilities across the country, as well as avoidable deaths. The resident doctors had gone on strike to demand the implementation of the memorandum of agreement they reached with the Federal Government and to protest the alleged non-payment of arrears of salaries and allowances to some of their members, as well as non-implementation of life insurance for those treating COVID-19 patients.
In 2020, medical practitioners were on strike three times over allowances for treating COVID-19 patients and increment in basic salary. While the strikes lasted, the health facilities were deserted and some Nigerians resorted to medical tourism.
Medical tourism can be defined as the process of travelling outside the country of residence for the purpose of receiving medical care. Nigeria has been losing billions of naira yearly on medical tourism, mostly to India and Europe. The practice underscores the loss of confidence of many Nigerians in the nation’s health system. We commend the NMA for the alarm raised over the rising cost of medical tourism and urge the government to reverse the trend. Although the cost of medical tourism as stated by the association may be conservative, the alert is a wake-up call on the Nigerian authorities to fix the comatose health system. The crisis in the health sector can be traced to years of official neglect by subsequent administrations.
The situation in the sector is a reflection of the poor leadership culture in the country. The rise in the cost of medical tourism, especially by the political class, does not portray the country in good light. The practice affects productivity and depletes the country’s scarce foreign reserves. It is bad that despite the strong condemnation of the exercise by notable Nigerians, the trend is on the increase.
The situation is really pathetic and we cannot continue like this as a nation. Medical tourism should not be seen as status symbol. There should be check on public functionaries travelling abroad for minimal health challenges that are better handled in the country. The President and other senior officials of the government should show example and lead the campaign in this regard.
Let the federal and state governments increase the budgetary allocations to health to boost the sector and minimise medical tourism. In the 2022 budget, N724 billion (4.2 per cent) was allocated to the health sector healthcare. In a country of over 200 million people, the allocation is insignificant.
It also falls short of the 2001agreement by heads of state of African Union in Abuja for each member state to commit 15 per cent of their annual budget to health. Medical tourism can be curbed when government provides world-class medical services in all its tertiary hospitals, the so-called centres of excellence, located in each of the six geopolitical zones of the country. Similarly, the brain drain in the sector can only be curbed when the government enhances the welfare of Nigerian doctors and other health workers.