Nigeria’s Federal Government has defended foreign medical trips by political leaders, arguing that individuals are free to seek treatment anywhere in the world.
Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare Muhammad Pate, made this assertion on Friday, during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
He stated, “Don’t conflate the quality of our healthcare system and what it has to offer and the choices that individuals can make for various reasons. Some may choose because they’ve got a provider, or they have other things.”
Pate emphasized that people have the right to seek medical care abroad, comparing it to tourism. “Tourism is something that everybody has a right to choose wherever he wants to go and you cannot constrain people. We are not in a communist system where you say, ‘Everybody has to be treated here.’”
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Critics argue that Nigerian leaders’ foreign medical trips undermine trust in the country’s healthcare system. However, Pate countered this narrative, highlighting Nigeria’s improving healthcare system and the presence of top professionals. “There is a disconnect between the prevailing narrative and facts on the ground; the perception that the elites can just walk away and $2 billion goes out in terms of outbound medical tourism,” he noted.
Pate also emphasized the importance of medical privacy, stating, “Everyone, whether rich or poor, whether powerful or weak, has the right to the privacy of their medical records. From medical ethics, the patient is king and the patient has the right to his or her privacy.”
The controversy surrounding foreign medical trips comes amid concerns about Nigeria’s healthcare system. According to the Central Bank of Nigeria, Nigerians spent $3.82 million on foreign healthcare-related services between January and December 2023.
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