Foreigners now visit Nigeria for plastic surgery, others – Minister

Foreigners now visit Nigeria for plastic surgery, others – Minister

Nigeria’s healthcare is no longer in crisis, Minister of State for Health, Dr Tunji Alausa, has said.

He said citizens of other countries in Asia, Europe and South America were beginning to visit Nigeria for medical treatment, especially in plastic surgery.

He spoke in an interview on Arise TV, maintaining that Nigeria now has reversed medical tourism.

“Today, we have a reversed medical tourism. We no longer have a japa syndrome in the healthcare system.

People are coming from India, South America and Europe for medical treatment in Nigeria, especially in the surgical area.”

He claimed that with improvements in the healthcare system, the country was witnessing a reversal of the ‘japa syndrome,’ suggesting that medical personnel were returning home from abroad.

According to him, the proliferation of aesthetic hospitals, numbering close to 900 across Nigeria, also contributes to attracting patients seeking services such as plastic surgery.

“Today, we have almost 900 aesthetic hospitals around Nigeria. People are coming to get plastic surgery,’’ he said.

He noted that the administration’s commitment to prioritising public health led to positive changes in the healthcare sector.

“We have a President now that believes a healthy nation is the core to harnessing our biggest asset, which is our human capital,” Alausa said.

He added that the government allocated dedicated funds and initiated collaborations to enhance primary healthcare services and expand health insurance coverage.

“The President has mandated us to increase coverage from about seven million to about 50 million people to have health insurance in the next two to three years.

“This marks the highest budget allocation for the health sector in almost 24 years,” he said.