On medical tourism

I became interested with the theme of medical tourism a while ago when I attended a Nigerian event hosted in London, where, among other subjects discussed, medical tourism textured as a key point. Unlike most problems as yet emerging, medical tourism, it seems, presents itself at the forecourt of the varyingly preponderant problems of our country. Ordinarily, one might think that the effective cost of medical treatment in other countries signifies the superior reason for bringing together a large pool of health tourists to such countries; Nigerians appear to have far more reasons to travel abroad for medical treatment than do people of other countries.

In countries where costs of medical treatment are high-priced, citizens see it as only shrewd the want to travel abroad where novel medical services may well be tendered for a cut-price, relatively. Nigerians, on the other hand, hardly go abroad for the mere scout of a bargain-basement, but for the consummate suspicion, the overt wariness, as well as the utter chariness that typifies the ethics of medical practice in the country. Given some peculiar reasons, ours, obviously, represents a fervent desire to consider other priorities when what is obtainable at home, is, without a glitch, a failure. It makes no sense for Nigerians to agree to a treatment (extortionate in cost, albeit doubtful in outcome) in, for example, a private hospital in Abuja when a more assured treatment could be accessed in Cairo or Delhi at half the cost that could have been paid to Abuja’s private practice.

But, in as much as the desire to travel abroad as an optimal choice of seeking medical help has most times brought forth positive results for such patients, few are however unlucky. In earnest, it is unreasonable to say that Nigerians should not go abroad (taking into account that some skills and equipment may not be available in-house) for medical treatment (given whatever circumstances that befall them) since there are doctors and hospitals in Nigeria, just as it would have been groundless to say that Nigerians should not go abroad for educational purposes since there are professors and universities in the country, it still remains that Nigerians should be encouraged to use what is available locally and go abroad for what is not available.

For example, there are aspects of medical tourism that is fast gaining prominence with Nigerians; a certain kind of tourism, which could, for lack of a better word, be annotated as downright pointless. This kind of tourism although evidently borne of colonial hangover, constitutes a huge drain on the economy of Nigeria. This is no other mentality than the mindset of having to travel to countries overseas just so one could give birth. Those who go to the United States to deliver may be trying to get US citizenship (a social burden/responsibility that could enable the child to legitimately participate in the continuous process of indorsing the egos of capitalism!) for their child but I wonder what those who go to other countries to deliver are looking for because they do not even get the citizenship, just the glamour that they were delivered abroad by a supposedly White midwife. But knowing some of these countries such as some European ones, this midwife is even likely to be an Indian or even an African. There is also another category of Nigerians who go abroad for cases that are clearly hopeless like advanced cancer. These are patients whose relations want to convince themselves that “they have tried.” But if only they will take advice from a specialist in Nigeria, they would not go abroad, and will instead save their money.

One cannot deny that there is also the question of poor medical service delivery in Nigeria in the case of those services that are available locally. People may want to go abroad to get a better serving of that which is available locally. The problem with this aspect is that a lot of the people who do that are government people who are the ones actually entrusted with making the system better locally. They fail to do so because of corruption then use the proceeds of corruption to go out to enjoy better service elsewhere. There is a lot of complains about the bad attitude of Nigerian medical professionals. As most health workers in Nigeria would agree, most of this is true. The level of ethics in medical service delivery is really so bad among our health workers both young and old. The motive to make more money is uppermost in their minds.

There is also the problem of lack of regulation in healthcare delivery in Nigeria. Granted, workers behave better abroad only because they are more regulated and sanctioned. But for some of the reasons outlined above, there is, I guess, the need to revamp the healthcare delivery in Nigeria in its entirety, just as there is also the pressing need of titivating all sapped sectors of the country’s economy. Until then, it seems that Nigerians will continue to travel abroad in search for a better healthcare which is perceptibly lacking in their country. But then again, for all intents and purposes, sometimes, even though our healthcare system is in dire need of a revival, it is prudent to ask ourselves (depending on our distinctive situations) as we embark on the journey abroad: would tourism really do the healing?