Lagos — COORDINATING Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Ali Pate, has said Nigeria loses about $2 billion yearly to medical tourism, saying the country must build health sovereignty and not rely on foreign care.
Pate said the lack of confidence in local healthcare and the citizenry’s inability to access quality health partly contributed to the figure.
Pate, represented by the Chief Medical Director of Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, Wasiu Adeyemo, stated this during the commissioning of Avon Medical Centre, a 50-bed speciality hospital in Surulere, Lagos.
However, he expressed optimism that Avon Medical Centre, among others, would reverse the trend, saying the government was also committed to revitalising the health sector through the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative and the 2024-2027 Health Sector Strategic Blueprint.
His words: “This is not just about stopping medical tourism. It is about building health sovereignty, the ability of a country to care for its people, and develop its institutions, talent, and innovation.
“The government stands ready to co-create pathways for private-sector engagement, be it through health insurance expansion, regulatory reform, or partnerships with national health programmes. We welcome Avon Medical and all new private providers to come alongside us as partners in building a healthier, safer, and more equitable Nigeria.”
Also speaking at the event, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State called for collaboration between the public and private sectors, saying the government could not solve healthcare challenges alone.
He said: “But we must create the enabling environment for private equity and investment to thrive. That said, Avon Medical, I dare say, has etched its name in the sands of time in this industry–not only in Lagos but in Nigeria as a whole.”
Earlier in her remarks, the Chairperson of Avon Healthcare Limited, Awele Elumelu, lamented that the lack of doctors, beds and equipment puts Nigeria’s healthcare system under pressure.
Elumelu said: “In 2009, we took the bold step to make world-class healthcare accessible and affordable to all, not just the privileged few. That decision birthed Avon Medical and Avon HMO. Africa carries over 20 per cent of the global disease burden, yet has only one per cent of healthcare resources.
“In Nigeria, the lack of doctors, beds, and equipment puts our system under pressure. What we are building is a healthcare system that leaves no one behind. We believe in Afri-capitalism–that the private sector has a responsibility not just to generate profit but to create lasting impact.”
Encroachment: UNESCO may delist Osun-Osogbo Grove
·Land grabbers seize, sell site buffer zone
By Shina Abubakar
OSOGBO — THE
Osun-Osogbo grove may be delisted as a world heritage site by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation, UNESCO, over the activities of land grabbers.
The Osun-Osogbo grove located in Osogbo was listed as a UNESCO heritage site in 2005 after the land was acquired and gazetted by the Federal Government.
However, recent activities of land grabbers have seen residents encroach on the site.
When Vanguard visited the site, yesterday, it observed that many residential buildings have been built along the buffer zone of the grove while virgin lands were also said to have been sold to new developers.
Also at the grove’s south entrance, a hotel is presently being built with work reaching the advanced stage at the time of the visit to the grove.
Efforts to get workers at the site to speak proved abortive as a man, who identified himself as the site engineer, declined to comment.
A traditionalist in Osogbo, Mr Ogundeji Elebuibon, who spoke on the development, berated both the National Museum and Monument over their lackadaisical attitude to the unfortunate development.
Elebuibon said: “The situation at the grove is very unfortunate and one fears that the development, if not checked would not lead to the delisting of the grove as a UNESCO heritage site.
“The South entrance has been encroached completely with residential buildings springing up in the areas. More areas are being cleared for new structures to emerge. Yet, government at various levels, including local, state and federal government are just watching without taking any action.”
When contacted, the Curator and Site Manager of the National Museum and Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove, Mr Aworeni Joseph said: “We are not lackadaisical about it. We are aware of the development, especially in the buffer zones around the grove; steps are being taken to bring those involved to book. I was there to inspect the development but we faced a lot of legal impediments to stop construction work ongoing at the areas.”
