To boost healthcare facilities across the country and reduce medical tourism outside Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Friday approved the immediate upgrade of key health infrastructure and equipment across all the six geo-political zones in line with his administration’s vision of overhauling the health and social welfare sector for enhanced service delivery to all Nigerians. They are to be delivered within 12-18 months.

A statement from the State House, Abuja said the projects would improve screening and diagnostics for communicable and non-communicable diseases; reduce mortality rates and improve outcomes for non-communicable diseases; create considerable employment opportunities for clinical, administrative, and managerial personnel across Nigeria’s six geo-political zones, all while building the capacity of clinical personnel in advanced procedures, diagnostics and treatment modalities.

The statement further stated that the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in collaboration with the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) will carry out the comprehensive upgradation of cancer-treatment infrastructure and other critical developments in six tertiary hospitals across several geopolitical zones, in addition to the full renovation and expansion of prior investments to improve broad-based access to high-quality healthcare in all six geo-political zones of the federation.

Specifically, six teaching hospitals across the geo-political zones have been marked for the establishment of oncology and nuclear medicine centres per facility as part of government’s bid to ensure that world class cancer diagnosis and care is accessible across the country.

The teaching hospitals are: University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, University of Nigeria (Nsukka) Teaching Hospital, Federal Teaching Hospital, Katsina, University of Jos Teaching Hospital and
Lagos University Teaching Hospital

Also, ten critical health care service expansion projects across the fields of radiology, clinical pathology, medical and radiation oncology, and cardiac catheterization will be carried out in ten hospitals across all geo-political zones.

They are: North-West:Reference Hospital, Kaduna — (Radiology, clinical pathology, medical and radiation oncology),South-East: Medical Diagnostic Centre Complex, Enugu — (Radiology, clinical pathology, medical & radiation oncology),
North-West: Usman Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto — (Diagnostic and intervention radiology, clinical pathology, and cardiac catheterization) and South-West: University College Hospital, Ibadan — (Diagnostic and intervention radiology, clinical pathology, and cardiac catheterization).

Others are: South-South: University of Uyo Teaching Hospital — (Radiology and clinical pathology),North-East: Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi — (Radiology and clinical pathology) South-South: Federal Medical Centre, Asaba — (Radiology and clinical pathology),North-Central: Harmony Advanced Diagnostic Centre Complex, Ilorin — (Radiology and clinical pathology),North-Central: Jos University Teaching Hospital — (Radiology and clinical pathology) and North-East: Federal Medical Centre, Nguru — (Radiology and clinical pathology)

Nigerians spend several millions of dollars treating ailments abroad. According to Dr. Ebun Bamgboye, clinical director, St. Nicholas Hospital, Nigerians who seek medical treatment abroad spend at least $1 billion every year.

The medical sector is also affected by the economic hardship being experienced in the country. With the exit of some pharmaceutical firms and the decline in the exchange rate of the Naira to the dollar, the sector has been hit by scarcity of drugs and skyrocketing prices of the ones available. This has forced many citizens with different ailments to result to herbal alternatives with attendant consequences.