By Doris Obinna
In a bid to curb medical tourism by creating a niche in the medical space and advanced medical care, multi-specialist hospital, Diamed Centre has started operation in Lekki, Lagos, with its chief executive officer, Dr Abiola Olorode, saying the move is to improve diagnostics, preventive care and is fully equipped to respond to the present-day medical care needs of Nigerians within the country.
Olorode said the newly established facility represents a significant step forward in the Nigerian healthcare system, as there would be no need for patients in Nigeria to travel out, as is the current trend, to seek treatment abroad.
According to her, the newly established facility represents a significant step forward in Nigerian healthcare centres and is also a one-stop shop for Nigerians seeking high-quality and evidence-based medical care.
The new facility, she disclosed, is strategically located in the heart of Lekki and boasts of state-of-the-art equipment, including the first-ever 3D mammogram machine in Nigeria.
Olorode, a medical professional who returned to Nigeria after many years abroad, stated that the challenges she witnessed in the Nigerian healthcare system, particularly the lack of access to advanced diagnostic tools, informs her desire to open the medical diagnostic centre.
Olorode, who is passionate to improve diagnostics care in Nigeria said these challenges; lack of access to advanced diagnostic tools, led to misdiagnosis and delayed treatment.
“The Diamond Centre addresses this by offering state-of-the-art equipment, including the first-ever 3D mammogram machine in Nigeria, allowing for earlier detection of breast cancer.”
Reiterating that the Centre diagnosis and offers treatment, she said a lack of advanced medical tools and over-reliance on symptom-based treatments are key drivers of medical tourism, which reduces doctors to just symptom-based treatments, which can lead to misdiagnosis and unnecessary medications.
She said: “I have spent my career witnessing the challenges of limited diagnostic tools and a reliance on symptom-based treatments in Nigeria. This can lead to misdiagnosis, unnecessary medications, and drug resistance.
“My 10 years experience and the feasibility study and planning carried are the major reasons this came to me. I trained in the UK and the US; the type of healthcare you get abroad should be available to Nigerians. So, Diamed’s vision is to provide Nigerians with high-quality, evidence-based medical care in a comfortable and accessible environment.”
Olorode, who served as a Health Manager at United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), added that Diamed Centre, established in 2020, offers evidence-based, patient-centred healthcare services across primary, secondary, and tertiary levels with integrity.
Taking a facility tour, Facility Manager, Joseph Adeyanju, told journalists that the facility has specialised divisions for neurology, orthopaedics, cardiology, and oncology, which are among other salient features.
He said each department is outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment and staffed by highly skilled medical professionals trained both locally and internationally.
“For instance, we have put in place the first 3D mammography machine, known as the 3 Dimensions Mammography System in Nigeria. The new technology will help deliver a higher state of care by providing enhanced images to help detect breast cancer when it is in the earliest, most treatable stages.
“Our services include: “Radiology, laboratory, blood tests, microbiology, immunology, molecular diagnostics, urinalysis, histopathology, cytology, toxicology, drug testing, dental, ophthalmology, paediatrics,” he added.