The World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed concern over Nigeria’s growing expenditure on medical tourism, estimating that the country loses approximately $1.2 billion each year as a result.
WHO Coordinator in Ondo State, Habibu Yahaya, made the disclosure on Thursday during the 4th Annual Public Health Grand Round, hosted by the School of Public Health at the University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED), Ondo City, Ondo State.
Speaking on the theme “Health Systems Strengthening: Building Resilience for the Future,” Yahaya stated that the significant financial drain is a symptom of broader systemic issues in Nigeria’s health sector.
He remarked that “fragility in Nigeria’s health systems leads to a loss of about $1.2 billion annually from the economy through medical tourism,” attributing the situation to persistent structural weaknesses.
“Nigeria’s health systems are repeatedly subjected to acute shocks such as epidemics and pandemics, alongside chronic stressors including inadequate funding and frequent industrial actions,” he explained.
In her opening address, Acting Dean of the School of Public Health, Ofonime Johnson, described the Grand Round as an annual scientific forum dedicated to addressing emerging public health concerns.
Also speaking at the event, Acting Vice-Chancellor of UNIMED, Adolphous Loto, underlined the centrality of resilience in building effective health systems. “Resilience is the ability of a system to withstand pressure without breaking,” he noted. “It is essential that our health infrastructure is built to absorb shocks while continuing to deliver critical services.”
A recurring issue raised during the gathering was the shortage of qualified healthcare personnel, which has long been recognised as a major contributor to the weakness of Nigeria’s health system.
During a panel session titled “Human Resource Gaps in Healthcare,” moderated by Vice-Dean of the School of Public Health, Ibukun Adesiyan, and Chairman of the Committee of Deans, Ezekiel Adebayo, it was revealed that UNIMED was conceived to tackle Nigeria’s healthcare workforce challenges.
Adesiyan and Adebayo stated that the university offers the largest number of accredited health professional courses in the country, adding, “We are the only university in West Africa offering degree-level training for dental surgeons, technologists, and therapists.”
The panel, which featured participants from academia, government, and the health sector, proposed several measures to address systemic deficiencies. These included task shifting, improved salaries, sustainable healthcare financing, emergency preparedness, health security, community engagement, equity, innovation, strengthened referral systems, and the use of reliable workforce data to inform policy and planning.
The event called for coordinated and sustained efforts to rebuild the country’s health infrastructure and reduce dependence on foreign medical care.
