Incredible How Covid-19 Turned Lagos Nigeria’s Potential Medical Tourist Hub.

Hundreds of patients crisscrosses the globe monthly from Nigeria seeking  medical care the past several years pre Covid-19. And, just before the lockdown, greater numbers had chosen India their choice destination for all sorts of both available and  unavailable treatments back home. Such patients led by our politician, inclusive of those from Mr. President and his cabinets, state governors, their cabinets, Local Government Chairmen, and stream of VIPs all who would have still continued the pursuit but for Covid denying them such options, so that now, they have no choice than look to Lagos as alternative destination.

And, what do you think fundamentally drives these people running and jumping planes with pockets full of monies to throw at health carers and hospitals all over, overseas countries? I’ll tell you, “quality of care” the sort of care they desire, feel is dependable and trust, won’t kill them. The sort WHO describes as “the extent to which health care services provided to individuals and patient populations improve desired health outcomes.” Note, it is the “quality of care” that is their concerns, not the small matter of “affordability.” These important personalities who ordinarily hold the key to the development of the Nigerian Healthcare system to provide that “desired health outcome, had over the years deliberately, wickedly milked and starved to near death, the same healthy health institutions most of them were born in, elsewhere instead for such international accredited and universally standardised Medicare or clinical process and services they had and still have the capacity, power and position to make possible in their country.

How shocking then to see these invisible and untouchable proportion of the population: Who should known better; who should have done better; who should have invested in infrastructure and human development to bring about the health care services and standardisation they seek elsewhere but failed to provide in their country are now turning victims, forced to turn to these same facilities. But, on realising how bad the situation has turned; how the healthcare facilities have turned death traps, they run, helter-skelter to privately owned hospitals but then again only to sooner see that even the private sectors suffer same fate of capital flight, negligence, disinvestments in infrastructures, shackled business environment and corruption, and so, same nemesis they run from in turn await them where they run to.

Universal WHO advocated standard  health coverage that would reverse the pre Covid tourism health fright and flight trends that also in the process impoverished Nigeria will remain elusive unless urgent steps and opportunities provided by present situation, are taken. Too many ordinary men, women and children continue to die from easily preventable and treatable causes and the VIPs have joined the death row call simply because they can not get the care they need to survive. However, Covid has provided us search light showing the rot, dilapidation, deprivation of our infrastructures, structures and, most importantly, disregard for our frontline medical carers. It is imperative that the government at all levels seize the gift of the Covid break.

Why should we all care and grab the Covid olive branch? Make peace with the gods? Simple: Because Covid-19 has shown it can visit us all with wrath and karma; punishment for consequences of our wicked ways.  It hurts to hear that any life is lost. It is inhumane to rejoice that these VIPs now suffer as we all have over the years-daily dying in dozens. But, reality is what it is; it is all over the news how such and such VIP has died; how such personalities who would have been flown overseas keep passing on and we know not, who is next. It is one death too many that we all are now suffering same fate. Mighty Covid has not come to kill but entrapped us for good: For a short while maybe, still we all, as a people are being rightly reprimanded for our wicked ways, yet, at the same time, like I have mentioned above, given opportunity for reprieve, to rethink, re-examine and make amends.

Much more interesting outcome of the Corona Virus phenomena however is how Lagos, the established economic capital of Nigeria could now assume the posture of Nigeria’s Medical and Pharmaceutical Tourism cardinal Center. Covid has brought to light, the immense potential that the Lagos government can as critical and priority areas of facilitation, latch on, can turn into possible developmental economic medical tourism prospective opportunity. 

How can this be? Gauging from the way the state has handled the ravishing Corona Virus in Lagos and how the government brought it under control and the spate at which Nigerian VIPs as well as state governments turn or run to Lagos for medical succour, the state can set up a Medical Tourism Strategic Committee to look critically into various possibilities, of improvement, encouragement and partnership with the private sectors to entrench Lagos as continued destination of choice for the life and presence as well as post Corona for medical tourism.