From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
The Chief Medical Director, University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Prof. Darlington Obaseki, yesterday said the country spends a whooping sum of $1.9 billion annually on medical tourism.
He also said 9000 Nigerians leave the country every month to seek for medical assistance abroad.
Prof. Obaseki, disclosed this yesterday in Benin during the flag-off of subsidized surgeries as part of activities to mark the 50th anniversary of the hospital.
He said a 50% subsidy on some high end minimal invasive procedures such as Endoscopic and Laparoscopic surgeries, Colonoscopy, Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) among others will be done during the period.
According to him, there is a new report on the health market in Nigeria commissioned by Pharmaset Foundation which indicated that Nigeria is losing huge money to medical tourism.
Quoting the report, Prof. Obaseki said, “As at 2021, the value of the medical tourism market, the amount of Money Nigerians spend going to seek healthcare abroad is $1.9 billion for one year’.
“Every month, 9000 Nigerians seek medical care outside Nigeria and majority of them go to Indian”.The question is why did they go out to seek for care? Some of the things they go out for are the things we are doing here”.
Obaseki said the country has the wherewithal to take care of the health needs of its citizens but blame the situation on the inability of the citizens to place value on what it has.
“Some of the things they go out for are the things we are doing here.
“So, I think it is time we appreciate ourselves and i am happy that the World Medical Association President is here.
” We need to advertise ourselves because the general society, they don’t seem to reckon that medical professionals in Nigeria, we are up to the task, not until we travel out.
“If Agborofoh travels to London now, this woman that refused to come here to see him will still go and meet him in London and say he is fantastic”, Obaseki said.
“We started since the beginning of this month. We have 115 patients for surgeries, anybody screened and certified free to undergo surgery would benefit from the programme.
“Since we started the programme, the surgeons and anaesthesia who work beyond the call of duty and sacrifice their expertise beyond 4pm have not been paid a kobo, they volunteer to help carry out the surgeries”.
He said the services doctors offered cannot be quantified in terms of monetary value and that what they need is to appreciate and value them.
He said Nigerians must learn to contribute cheerfully to the health sector noting that a true philanthropist is the one who has contributed to the health needs of his people.
On his part, the Edo State deputy governor, Philip Shaibu, commended CMD of the hospital for breaking new grounds in the health sector, stressing that the state government has always leverage on the expertise of the personnel and technological advancements to drive its health reform in the state.
While thanking him for making the hospital a centre of excellence, he called on Nigerians to show love by contributing their quota to the development of the sector.
Caption: The UBTH CMD, Prof Darlington Obaseki flanked by staff and management of the hospital shortly after the event yesterday in Benin City