North African medical tourism to go south
Onche Odeh
From left, Nigerian science reporters Onche Odeh and far right, Ms
Abiose Adelaja and Michael Simire. They're with British media trainer
Julie Clayton, Ghanaian science journalist Frederick Baffour Opoku, at
the World Federation of Science Journalists mentoring programme in
Nairobi, Kenya. Photo: Christina Scott |
LAGOS: Nigerians spend up to one billion American dollars (or in the local
currency, 127 billion Naira) yearly on foreign medical services, mostly in
the United Kingdom, a country which is also their favorite holiday
destination.
Now they're being urged to look to South Africa instead. The vast sum is
spent on transportation, accommodation, doctors' fees, diagnostic services and
drugs, as detailed by the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Dr Wale Alabi
and colleagues at Global Resources, a privately owned project coordinating body
in Nigeria.
Every year some 18,500 Nigerians travel abroad, mostly to the United
Kingdom, in search of medical care, said Dr Tshepo Maaka, the managing
director of Serokolo Health Tourism in South Africa, at the official launch
of the Nigerian operations of the medical tourism body in Lagos in April 2007.
The amount of money spent by Nigerians on medical treatment in other
countries is huge because of the oil-rich West African nation's remoteness.
Serokolo Medical Tourism, in the province of Gauteng, is styled to suit the
vast medical potential in South Africa and intends to reduce the cost for
Nigerians of seeking medical attention elsewhere by taking them to South
Africa, Dr Maaka said.
She argued that South Africa's vast array of advanced medical resources and
relative closeness to Nigeria - compared with, say, the UK or the United States
of America - makes the reduction a possibility. "Health and medical tourism
is travelling, usually abroad, for the purpose of seeking specific health
management and medical treatment," she explained.
This, in her view, is a relatively new but fast growing industry in South
Africa, hence the need to create channels to access health services in the
country by other African nations.
Medical tourism ranges from a simple eye laser procedures and minor
gynaecological surgery to major operations such as hip replacements and
cardiac bypass surgery.
Health tourism can also involve taking a retreat to assess one's health
through comprehensive screening or medical check-ups.
Dr Maaka insisted that medical tourism should not be seen as "treatment
abroad as fondly referred to in Nigeria. A big challenge we currently face
is that treatment abroad is seen only to benefit the (Nigerian) elite few
and in particular, government officials."
She said international treatment should be based on people's needs, not
their expense account: "It places a strong emphasis on accessing health and
medical services in South Africa for those that need it and educating the
Nigerian market about our healthcare services."
Issues faced by potential medical tourists from such countries as Nigeria
include the ability to pay for medical services out-of-pocket, foreign
insurance and cross-border payments, visas and a lack of knowledge of
medical facilities in South Africa.
Nigeria was chosen for the sales pitch, Maaka explained, because South
Africa is fast gaining a reputation as a destination of choice in medical
and health interventions for such countries as Nigeria and Ghana. Sadly,
this is due to the decay in these countries' medical systems, outdated
diagnostic equipment and loss of confidence in their public health systems.
"There is ample opportunity for South Africa to tap into this market and
grow this industry for South Africa, while at the same time affording
Nigerians much more cost-effective treatment as compared to the UK and the
U.S."
More information:
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Onche Odeh, a science journalist with the Daily Independent newspaper in Lagos,
is a member of the World Federation of Science
Journalists'
peer-to-peer mentoring programme organised by Nigerian television executive
Diran Onifade in Abuja, Cairo-based Nadia el-Awady of the Islam Online website
in Egypt and Cameroonian science journalism professor Gervais Mbarga from
Yaoundé. He writes for ScienceinAfrica.com in his personal capacity. He can be
contacted by email on odehbishop@yahoo.com
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