BEYOND BUILDING FANCY HOSPITALS

The Lagos State initiative is commendable, but there is need to generally raise standards in healthcare services

While inaugurating a 60-bed ultra-modern Cardiac and Renal Centre located within the Gbagada General Hospital complex last week, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, explained that the idea was conceived with the aim of stopping Nigerians from seeking treatments abroad. A consortium of Nigerian and American doctors and nurses who are cardiac and kidney specialists have been engaged as concessionaires to manage and maintain the hospital for the next five years with an option of renewal.

We commend the Lagos State government for the specialist hospital even though it would appear to be a drop in the ocean, given the huge number of Nigerians who die of such ailments almost on a daily basis. Even at that, we hasten to say that the issue in medical tourism goes beyond establishing some isolated good health facilities. 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.

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 good 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 of these nice health institutions we build especially in the public sector. For

WHAT DRIVES THE COMPULSION TO GO ABROAD TO SEEK MEDICAL HELP FOR THOSE WHO CAN AFFORD IT HAS TO DO WITH EXCELLENCE.

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 inauguration. But we cannot gloss over the fact that medical tourism is a serious issue in our country today.

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 then 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. The same thing has happened in the educational sector where Nigerians have risen to the occasion with world class high schools and even universities. 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.

However, we probably need to de-link expert tertiary healthcare delivery from the tourism part. Let us encourage the establishment of good health facilities preferably as collaborative business venture with experts from nations whose professionals have excelled in this area. The point here about medical tourism is that most people would not make Nigeria their first choice if they want to de-stress. 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 tolerable decency, security, basic essential services and infrastructure that encourage free movement of persons and backpacks.

All said, that the Lagos State government has taken a step in the right direction is not in doubt. But we would be deluding ourselves to think such idea would stop medical tourism.