Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister for Health and Social Welfare, Ali Pate, has revealed that citizens from the UK, US, and West Africa are increasingly choosing Nigeria for high-quality healthcare services.
In a statement to reporters following the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting chaired by President Bola Tinubu, Pate highlighted the growing influx of international patients seeking medical care in Nigeria.
“People are now beginning to come from the subregion, and even from faraway places like the UK and the US, to receive quality healthcare in Nigeria.
“Despite the challenges we face, significant progress is being made, and the transformation promised by President Tinubu is already taking shape,” Pate said.
The minister highlighted that the federal government has approved several contracts aimed at equipping key tertiary health facilities.
These include a N12 billion approval for the acquisition of advanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) equipment for six major health institutions.
The beneficiaries of this funding include the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Federal Medical Centre in Abeokuta, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital in Osun state, Federal Medical Centre in Keffi, Modibbo Adama University Teaching Hospital in Adamawa, and Federal Teaching Hospital in Kebbi.
“This investment in critical diagnostic infrastructure is part of a broader effort to expand Nigeria’s health system capacity, ensuring that our tertiary institutions can offer world-class medical services,” Pate noted.
The minister also mentioned that Nigeria had ratified the African Medicines Agency (AMA) Treaty, a significant step towards harmonizing medical regulations across the continent.
Adopted by the African Union in 2019, the treaty aims to ensure better access to high-quality and safe medical products through a unified regulatory framework.
“So far, 37 African Union member states have signed the treaty, with 26 having ratified it. Today, the federal executive council directed that Nigeria take all necessary actions to give full effect to this treaty,” Pate said.
He emphasized that the treaty would expand Nigeria’s pharmaceutical industry, enabling locally produced medical products to meet international standards.
The Minister said, “What we produce here will not just be ‘Made in Nigeria’, but over time, it will be recognised as ‘Made in Africa’. This is a significant step towards self-sufficiency in medical products and pharmaceutical industrialisation.”
He further emphasized that this development will help transform Nigeria’s healthcare system, fostering self-sufficiency in medical manufacturing and boosting the country’s global healthcare standing
“We are investing in infrastructure, human resources, and regulatory frameworks to create a healthcare system that Nigerians can rely on and that attracts patients from across the globe,” Pate concluded.