Nigeria's Medical Tourism: Unpacking Data Gaps and Domestic Healthcare Advancements

A recent report from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) indicated a sharp 96.2 percent decline in medical tourism expenditure, dropping from $2.38 million in the first half of 2024 to just $0.09 million in the same period of 2025. This significant $2.29 million contraction has been interpreted by some policymakers as evidence of reduced outbound patient travel.

However, industry experts contend that this figure largely reflects a shift towards unofficial foreign exchange channels and private payment methods, rather than a true reduction in Nigerians seeking care abroad. Njide Ndili, president of the Healthcare Federation of Nigeria, highlighted this nuance to BusinessDay:

"The data only reflects transactions routed through the official foreign exchange window. With the convergence of official and parallel market rates, people no longer see any incentive to source dollars through the CBN. Most medical travel payments are now happening outside that system."

Ndili further explained that patients increasingly rely on parallel markets, private insurance, offshore facilitators, and employer-funded schemes, none of which are captured by the CBN’s reporting framework. Consequently, the actual volume of medical tourism spending is likely understated, even as the country makes strides toward enhancing domestic healthcare capacity.

Driving Domestic Healthcare Capacity

Despite the data complexities, Ndili believes Nigeria is genuinely on a trajectory to reverse medical tourism within a few years, driven by both private sector expansion and public sector reform. She noted that rebuilding patient confidence in the quality, safety, and outcomes of local care is paramount. This confidence is being fostered through several initiatives:

• Private Sector Investment: Hospital operators are investing in advanced technology, specialist training, and facility upgrades. Complex procedures previously sought overseas are now available in Lagos and other major cities, including cardiac surgeries, robotic oncology, non-invasive fibroid treatment using High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU), and AI-assisted urology care.

• Consolidation: Healthcare providers are acquiring smaller facilities and building integrated networks to standardize care, improve clinical governance, and distribute the costs of expensive equipment and talent, mirroring global best practices seen in Europe and the United States.

• Public Sector Reform: A prime example is the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Ebute Metta, where PharmAccess collaborated on a comprehensive quality improvement program using its SafeCare methodology. This initiative focused on digitization, clinical protocols, process redesign, workforce training, and infrastructure optimization. Ndili, also the country director for PharmAccess Nigeria, affirmed its success:

"FMC Ebute Metta is now a level-four hospital in terms of quality standards. It is paperless, process-driven and operating at a level comparable to world-class facilities."

This transformation has also yielded financial benefits, with the hospital’s internally generated revenue increasing by over 1,000 percent and recording more than 200,000 new patient visits in December alone. The Federal Ministry of Health plans to replicate this model across 48 tertiary hospitals nationwide.

The Diaspora Doctor Model

Another significant development is the growing trend of Nigerian specialists based in Europe, the United States, and the Middle East returning home for short, high-impact clinical missions. These diaspora doctors partner with private hospitals to perform complex procedures—such as cardiac, oncological, orthopedic, and urological interventions—over defined periods, often completing numerous major operations within weeks.

Ndili highlighted the dual benefits of this approach:

"This approach is helping Nigeria manage the brain drain in a very practical way. Instead of losing these specialists completely, hospitals are bringing the expertise back home, even if temporarily."

This model preserves access to world-class expertise while dramatically reducing costs for patients, who can access the same specialists locally at a fraction of the expense associated with international travel, accommodation, and visa fees.

Skepticism and Challenges

Not all stakeholders are fully convinced that Nigeria is on the cusp of a full-scale reversal. Dr. Tunji Akintade, former chairman of the Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria, cautioned against claims of a 98 percent reduction in medical tourism:

"I don’t know where that number is coming from. Yes, private hospitals are improving, but affordability remains a major constraint. Many Nigerians still travel abroad if they can afford it."

Akintade emphasized that while top-tier private hospitals offer world-class care, their services remain inaccessible to most citizens. He advocated for government-established, long-tenor soft loan schemes for private hospitals to help them upgrade facilities, acquire advanced medical equipment, and broaden domestic treatment capacity, thereby curbing foreign exchange losses related to patient travel.

Bottom Line

Nigeria's journey to becoming a leading healthcare destination for its citizens is marked by both progress and ongoing challenges. While data gaps obscure the precise scale of outbound medical tourism, a credible path to retaining more international patients domestically is emerging through:

1. Enhanced Private Sector Capacity: Continuous investment in advanced technology and facility upgrades.

2. Public Sector Reforms: Successful quality improvement initiatives in public hospitals like FMC Ebute Metta, with plans for nationwide replication.

3. Diaspora Doctor Engagement: A strategic model leveraging international expertise to provide specialized care locally at reduced costs.

4. Policy Reinforcement: Recent CBN reforms, such as the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Code launched by Governor Olayemi Cardoso in January 2025, aim to tighten transparency and accountability in the FX market, potentially making overseas medical travel more financially challenging via official routes.

Despite the need for improved affordability and financing for smaller private facilities, the evolving healthcare landscape suggests a future where Nigeria can significantly reduce its reliance on cross-border healthcare.

Read the full article here: https://businessday.ng/health/article/medical-tourism-reversal-experts-flag-data-gaps-say-patients-simply-bypassing-tracked-fx-routes/