A former Minister of State for Health, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, has urged the federal and state governments to ban medical tourism for Nigerians who go abroad for treatment, using the tax payers money. He also urged the government to provide an enabling environment for the private health sector and also to equip its hospitals with the kind of facilities found in foreign hospitals.
Pate stated this on Tuesday during the Third Distinguished Guest Lecture organised by the University of Medical Sciences, Ondo. The lecture was titled The Future of Health and Promise of Primary Health Care in Nigeria. He said, “Almost all those who travel abroad for medical care attend private hospitals, not government hospitals, in those countries.
“They also pay exorbitant amounts which, if we had developed the sector, individual burdens would have diminished and steady revenue stream would have been developed, to encourage the private health sector and keep our foreign exchange in reserves.” In his remarks, the state Governor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, said there was a need for government to make primary health care accessible and affordable for the people.
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