President Muhammadu Buhari, has expressed concerns over the country’s huge loss to Medical Tourism abroad.

 

 

Speaking at the inauguration of Senior Executive Course, SEC, 41 of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, NIPSS, Kuru, Plateau State, the President maintained that the country loses about N400 billion, to Medical Tourism, annually.

 

 

He was represented by Simon Lalong, the Plateau State Governor, at the event.

 

 

The event had as its theme: ‘Funding Universal Health Care Delivery in Nigeria’.

 

The President disclosed that the country is losing so much to Medical Tourism, because of the country’s Health sector’s “inability to combat the outbreak of deadly diseases, and mass migration of Medical Personnel out of the country”.

 

 

“Government has shown strong commitment in the revitalisation of the Health sector”, he said.

 

“These efforts notwithstanding, our Health sector is still characterised by low response to the public health emergencies, inability to combat outbreak of deadly diseases, and mass migration of medical personnel out of the country.

 

 

“This has resulted in increasing Medical Tourism by Nigerians, in which Nigeria loses N400 billion on annual basis.”

 

 

The President revealed that his administration is targeting 10,000 functional Primary Healthcare facilities across the country.

 

Recall, that in 2017, Buhari spent over 150 days in the United Kingdom, treating an undisclosed ailment.

 

 

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