It was in lieu of this  that Media Trust Limited, publishers of Daily Trust newspaper and other titles in collaboration with Prompt Home Health, and other partners organized a medical  conference and exhibition to showcase and harness the best of the Nigerian medical system. Tagged ‘All Things medical ,’ the exhibition and conference was held on Monday 19th to Tuesday 20th of  September at the NAF Conference Centre and Suites at  Jabi, Abuja. The  theme of the conference was,  “Celebrating Nigeria’s Medical Care, Why Bother go Outside?”

 

The main objective of the conference was to provide critical information and promote the quality of personnel and health facilities in order to stem capital flight and medical tourism. Medical specialists in different areas, medical associations, hospitals, and pharmaceutical companies attended the conference and exhibition.  Medical experts from both the public and private sectors came together to brainstorm on the challenges bedeviling the health sector, and to find solutions to medical tourism. 

 

According to the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, Nigeria spends one billion annually on medical tourism in countries like India, Malaysia, China, Egypt, UK, and others with 60 per cent spent in four major areas of healthcare; cardiology, orthopedic, renal dialyses issues and cancer. The experts during the plenary session took turns to highlight how money wasted on travels outside the country to access medical care could transform Nigeria’s health sector as well as how it would enable it give the best medical care to Nigerians while generating revenue for the country’s economy.

 

In his presentation titled “Medical travel, how to create a balance”, Dr Ibrahim Wada, Consultant Gynecologist and IVF specialist at the NISA Premiere Hospital, Abuja, said Nigeria could also be a tourist hub for people to travel to from all parts of the world for treatment. According to him, the problem was not to stop medical travel but that more people were leaving the country to seek medical care than those coming into the country for medical services. He added that if the number of people coming in can equate those going out it will boost the economy.

 

Minister of health, Professor Isaac Adewole, said that as oil prices are falling, and budgetary allocation dwindling, reversing medical tourism and making Nigeria the hub of medical tourism would result in a diversified economy. Represented by Dr Omobolanle Olowu, Head Public Private Partnership in Diaspora Unit in the ministry, he said with adequate financing and the willingness of Nigeria’s health professionals in the diaspora to return home to contribute their quota, Nigeria can become the hub for medical tourism in Africa.

 

The minister advised that Nigeria should also borrow a leaf from Malaysia, Singapore and India by repositioning our health industry to meet up with world standard and make Nigeria a medical tourist hub which will further strengthen the economy and earn it billions of dollars annually. The experts, who also revealed that some of the best brains in the medical field across the world were Nigerians, adding that what was needed was for the government to create an enabling environment for medical experts to give their best.

 

The Managing Director Prompt Medical Home Health, Dr Ike Okoye, said that medical tourism can be reduced if the government creates an enabling environment for medical practitioners. Prof. Felicia Anumah, Consultant Endocrinologist University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, in her presentation said that   efficiency, commitment, and diligence was lacking in Nigeria’s health care service delivery. She said there was need for training and re-training, partnerships, custom waivers, and sound government policies like the NHIS among other things.

Dr Jawa Muhammad, an Oncologist and Senior Consultant Nuclear Medicine at the National Hospital Abuja, said going abroad for medical services was not the solution, adding that people must realize that disease condition vary with geographical location and environment.

 

He also said that medical practitioners must be proactive in their services and give the best to their patients, adding that they should be duly registered before being allowed to practice within the country.  Speaking on the frequency of industrial actions that has bedeviled the sector, Dr Ejike Orji, a Reproductive Health and Right Specialist, said a collective responsibility and Private Public Partnership (PPP) is the way forward, explaining that every industrial action has a root cause and doctors had never for once asked for what was not promised them by the government.

 

A consultant in Clinical Oncology at the National Hospital, Abuja, Dr Abubakar Bello, said one of the problems facing the sector is the many associations crippling the sector, adding that when practitioners accept responsibility and stand up to work, they would not have time for association but for the people. Participants also bared their minds on some of the challenges in the sector that  foster medical tourism such as the quality care for patients in Nigerian hospitals, the state of NHIS, cost of registration, and underfunding of medical Centres to mention a few. 

 

A participant, Sunday Clement, Business Development Manager of ASI Ukpo Diagnostic and Medical Centre, Calabar, Cross River State, said the conference helped him to know that  IVF was done at cheap rates  at the National Hospital. He said before the conference his centre was referring patients to hospitals in Dubai and other places. Dr Biodun Ogungbo, a medical expert and one of the organizers of the conference said some of the hospitals on show during the conference were  Spine Fixed in Abuja, Prompt Home Health, Katameya Hospital, National Hospital, Cedarcrest Hospital, Nizamiye Hospital, Wellington Clinics, Primus International Hospital, AsiUkpo Medical and Diagnostic Centre and Garki Hospital.

 

According to him , Spine Fixed in Abuja showed its  specialty in spine surgery for spine fractures, spinal cord injuries, and tumors of the spine. Prompt Home Health showed its professional homecare services to adults and children in the comfort of their homes, Nisa Premier and Garki Hospitals, Abuja exhibited its ability for treatment of infertility issues  while Cedarcrest Hospitals displayed its expertise on orthopaedics and  fixing broken bones Also Nizamiye Hospital has expertise on cardiac investigations and surgeries that save lives. 

 

The Associate Director, Business and Strategy, Media Trust Limited said  Aliu Akosile said the company’s support for the conference was hinged on its concern for the physical and mental fitness of its readers and Nigerians. He said, “we are worried about the quantum of money being spent outside the shores of this country by people looking for solutions to medical ailments and we believe that we have capable medical facilities that can take care of this things in Nigeria and that is why we support this platform to give us the opportunity to showcase what can Nigeria can offer in terms of medical solutions to ailment.”

 

 

Source:MWN