The World Health Organization has warned that Nigeria loses an estimated $1.2 billion each year to medical tourism, attributing the figure to weaknesses in the country’s health system.
The WHO Coordinator in Ondo State, Habibu Yahaya, made the disclosure at the 4th annual public health Grand Round organised by the University of Medical Sciences in Ondo. He said fragile infrastructure, poor funding, frequent industrial actions, and vulnerability to epidemics and pandemics continue to undermine healthcare delivery.
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Acting Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Adolphous Loto, said resilience must be built into the system to ensure continuity of essential services.
Panelists at the event noted the country’s human resource gaps in healthcare, with university officials highlighting UNIMED’s leadership in training health professionals. The institution claims to run the highest number of accredited health courses in Nigeria and West Africa.
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