To diversify medical care and curtail medical tourism and brain drain in the health sector, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, has said the state is building specialist hospitals.
Professor Abayomi said this during the Doctors for Change (DFC) conference in Lagos State, South West, Nigeria.
According to the commissioner for health, “We have many general hospitals but what we lack are specialist facilities, and you can get specialist care both in the government and private hospitals.
“What we are trying to do is that we are building more specialist hospitals… We have the Massey Children Specialist Hospital, Infectious Disease Research Institute, the largest psychiatric hospital in Africa at Ketu-Ejirin, Epe, the Omotunde Ajoke Cole Hospital, Island.
“We are trying to create a diversification of medical care, so if you need kidney transplant, heart surgery, the highest level of treatment for infectious diseases, rehabilitation centres, you can get it here,” Abayomi said.
He added that the state identified trust, and lack of medical specialties, as factors driving Nigerians overseas for medical care. Abayomi said the trend would be reversed to make the state a medical tourist destination.
He said that the government would continue investing in human resources, set standards and right policies to enforce quality healthcare services delivery.
The commissioner who said the state was embarking on a digital footprint that would connect all health facilities, to holistic and collective data on the health seeking behaviour of Lagos indigenes also stated that the state wants to partner with the DFC to assist in achieving its strategic goals. He said the state would continually evolve favourable policies to attract doctors in the Diaspora back to Nigeria, either fully or partly.
Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), said diasporans were valuable asset, worth more than the billions of naira they sent home as remittances. Dabiri-Erewa said that they contribute to national development through medical missions, investments, training and skills transfer noting the importance of synergy between Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora and the government, to promote socioeconomic development.
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