With the 300-bed Enugu International Hospital now ready for inauguration, Governor Peter Mbah has said the worldclass medical facility would be a game changer in reversing Nigeria’s medical tourism trend.
He stated this when he carried out a pre-inauguration inspection tour of the hospital in the evening of Wednesday, August 13, declaring that Enugu State was ready to welcome the world.
Mbah said that the state-of-the-art medical equipment needed to reverse medical tourism were now fully installed, adding that Enugu was set to secure a large chunk of the multibillion-dollar health tourism market.
“We have quite a lot of Ndi Enugu, and Nigerians who travel to India, Turkey, the United States, and the United Kingdom to seek medical attention. So, what we are asking for is just a fraction of what they would have spent overseas for the same quality services,” he said.
It is estimated that Nigeria currently spends between $1.2 billion and $2.39 billion yearly on medical travel or medical tourism overseas as political leaders and the rich seek efficient medical services outside the shores of Nigeria.
Speaking with newsmen at the site of the international health institution located at Rangers Avenue, Independence Layout, Enugu, Mbah said the hospital was a product of a deliberate health agenda.
“If you recall our manifesto during our campaign for office, we made it clear that we were committed to making Enugu a medical tourism hub on the continent.
“We knew the size of that market and wanted to have a good share of that market. But we knew also that it was never going to be wished into existence,” he said.
Mbah said that his administration knew that “we needed to do things differently” in order to realise the dream of building a world-class health facility, “and most importantly, attract top-notch professionals to provide medical services”.
“We cannot wait to welcome the world to Enugu,” he enthused.
Mbah regretted that there was just about one functional location for PET Scan services in the country, but noted that the hospital would now bridge the wide gap in advanced medical services in the country.
“We felt that if we want to compete globally, then we must also have the ability to provide advanced oncology services. Therefore, we are not only able to give you an advanced diagnosis, but we’re also able to treat. So, both diagnostically and therapeutically, the place to come to is right here in Enugu.
“We have also received an outpouring of interest from our healthcare professionals in the diaspora. Some of them were doing well here at some point and now went overseas to practice. They are now happy to come back home and give back to the society that nurtured them. We are excited about that,” he stated.
He added that the Enugu International Hospital would equally engage in telemedicine as one of its areas of strength.
According to him, the building and the modern equipment in it would not make the hospital a worldclass health facility hence the need to also engage professionals from across the globe.
“You see this in our commitment to telemedicine, digital and electronic medical practices and equipment,” he stated.
The Enugu Governor noted that the Enugu International Hospital was part of his administration’s agenda for the health sector which is an integral part of his government’s vision to grow the state’s economy from $4.4bn to $30bn, and ensure high quality and increased life expectancy for the people.
He said: “If you look at our intervention in the healthcare sector, from the primary healthcare to the secondary, tertiary, and now the quaternary, it is intentional.
“We are investing heavily in security and healthcare because we know that these are what investors would ask you: ‘Am I safe? If I fall sick, would I have a place where I can get quality medical attention?’”.
Mbah, who was accompanied by the Commissioner for Health, Prof. George Ugwu, and other government officials, stated that apart from being a place to come for worldclass medical care, the hospital would also provide job opportunities.
In his remarks, the Chief Executive Officer of EIH, Prof. Sam Agwu, listed six specialty areas the hospital would provide excellent services after inauguration.
“We have earmarked six specialty centres here. In the Cancer Centre, we are going to provide medical, surgical, and nuclear medicine therapeutics and diagnostics.
“We have the Heart and Vascular Centre of Excellence, Neurosciences Centre of Excellence as well as the Renal and Transplant Centre of Excellence,” he said.
Asiee the listed centres, Agwu also said that “we are going to have wellness and regenerative medicine, while the usual departments that you know of – mother and child, general surgery, ENT, dental, ophthalmology, among others – will all be here”.
Former Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association, Enugu State chapter, Dr. Sunday Okafor, hailed the milestone in healthcare delivery, saying that the hospital would promote brain gain and help curtail mass exodus of Nigerian medical doctors.
“Our doctors now have a place of international standard where they can practice with state-of-the-art equipment and also earn well,” he said.
