Vice President Kashim Shettima has said Nigeria was witnessing a surge in reverse medical tourism, with patients from the United States and other countries thronging the nation’s hospitals to seek affordable and high-quality kidney transplants.
Naijaonpoint reports that Vice President Shettima attributed the choice of Nigeria for treatment to affordability and high-quality expertise within the country’s medical community.
Speaking on Thursday during a courtesy visit by the Nigerian Association of Nephrology (NAN) at the Presidential Villa ahead of the association’s 37th Scientific Conference, Shettima stressed the need for further investments in specialized medical education to sustain this progress.
“There is reverse medical tourism these days fundamentally because of the level of care at some of our hospitals. Recently, thirteen patients from the United States came to Nigeria for kidney transplants… and they receive the same level of expertise available anywhere in the world,” he said.
Shettima, however, noted the financial strain on patients, many of whom sell their homes or rely on government support to afford transplants.
“While getting a kidney transplant is a significant challenge, life after a transplant presents even more difficulties. Many patients struggle with the cost of post-transplant care, including immunosuppressants, which are essential to maintaining their health,” he stated.
The Vice President recalled healthcare initiatives he had embarked on during his tenure as governor of Borno State, as well as the success of ongoing free maternal care programmes he introduced.
“At a hospital in my neighborhood, we provide a bag of rice and beans to every new mother. They record about 30 births daily, more than even the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH). Over 4,000 deliveries have been recorded in less than eight months, with all medical expenses covered, including caesarean sections,” Shettima said.
He stressed the need for Nigeria to build its medical workforce, noting that when he was in Borno State as Governor, he took 60 female students to study medicine in Sudan.
“About 58 of them completed their education and passed the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) licensing exams. Most of them are now in their medical residency programmes. The beauty of training women in medicine is that they are more likely to stay back and serve their communities.
“We must make deliberate and targeted investments in specialized healthcare education in this country, he added.