- Nigeria Loses 1.2 Billion US Dollars to Medical Tourism Yearly with Nigerian Health Systems Facing Acute Shocks – Expert
.. As UNIMED Acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor Adolphous Loto says continuous building of our health system to resist shocks is non-negotiable…
Experts and stakeholders at the 4th Annual Public Health Grandround held on Wednesday, 16th July, 2025 at Oladipo Akinkugbe Hall organised by the School of Public Health of the institution disclosed that Nigeria loses about 1. 2 billion US dollars to medical tourism.
Speaking at the event, aptly themed “Health Systems Strengthening: Building Resilience for the Future,” the Keynoter, Dr. Habibu Yahaya, the World Health Organization (WHO) Coordinator in Ondo State submitted that “health systems fragility results in about 1.2 billion US dollars loss from the Nigerian economy to medical tourism yearly”. He said this is not unconnected with the shocks often experienced by the country’s health system. He noted that “Nigerian health systems face acute shocks (ẹ. g. epidemics, pandemics) and chronic stressors (ẹ. g. poor funding, persistent strikes)
Earlier, the Acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor Adolphous Loto stressed the importance of system resilience in public health. He said “A system has both input and output”. He then added that “resilience is the ability of that system to withstand pressure without breaking”. To this end, he went further to say that “building our health system to resist shocks while continuing to deliver essential services is non-negotiable”.
The gathering pointed out that one of the factors responsible for weak health systems is human resource gap. During a panel session tagged “Human Resource Gaps in Healthcare”, moderated by the Vice-Dean of the School of Public Health, Dr. Ìbùkún Adesiyan, the Chairman, Committee of Deans, Professor Ezekiel Adebayo said “UNIMED was established with the vision of solving Nigeria’s human resource gaps in healthcare”. He went further to say that “the University runs the highest number of accredited health professional courses in any Nigerian university. We are the only University in West Africa training dental surgeons, technologists, and therapists at the degree level”.
The panelists at the event, drawn from the academia, government and the health sector, emphasised the need for task shifting, improved remuneration, sustainable health financing, emergency preparedness and health security,community engagement and equity, innovation and research, better referral systems and use of accurate workforce data to strengthen the health systems in Nigeria.
In her welcome address, the Acting Dean of the School of Public Health, Professor Ofonime Johnson described the Grandround as an annual scientific gathering that provides a platform for discussing emerging public health challenges.
E-signed
Isaac Oluyi
PRO, UNIMED, Ondo.
16th July, 2025