Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister for Health and Social Welfare, Ali Pate, has highlighted that increasing numbers of patients from the United States, the United Kingdom, and West Africa are now seeking medical care in Nigeria due to its improving healthcare services.
Pate made this announcement during a briefing with the press on Tuesday after a Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, which was chaired by President Bola Tinubu.
He shared that despite ongoing challenges, Nigeria’s healthcare sector is seeing substantial progress, in line with the transformation outlined by President Tinubu.
“People are now beginning to come from the subregion, and even from faraway places like the UK and the US, to receive quality healthcare in Nigeria.
“Despite the challenges we face, significant progress is being made, and the transformation promised by President Tinubu is already taking shape,” Pate remarked.
He also noted that the government is making strides to strengthen the country’s medical infrastructure.
As part of this effort, the federal government has approved funding for the procurement of advanced medical equipment, including a significant ₦12 billion investment in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines for six key tertiary health institutions across Nigeria.
The hospitals benefiting from this upgrade are the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Federal Medical Centre in Abeokuta, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital in Osun State, Federal Medical Centre in Keffi, Modibbo Adama University Teaching Hospital in Adamawa, and the Federal Teaching Hospital in Kebbi.
“This investment in critical diagnostic infrastructure is part of a broader effort to expand Nigeria’s health system capacity, ensuring that our tertiary institutions can offer world-class medical services,” Pate added.
In addition, Nigeria has recently ratified the African Medicines Agency (AMA) Treaty, aimed at aligning medical regulatory standards across the continent.
The treaty, which was adopted by the African Union in 2019, is designed to enhance access to safe and effective medicines across Africa.
With 37 African Union members having signed the treaty, 26 of which have ratified it, Nigeria is committed to fully implementing this framework.
“So far, 37 African Union member states have signed the treaty, with 26 having ratified it. Today, the federal executive council directed that Nigeria take all necessary actions to give full effect to this treaty,” he stated.
He emphasized that this is a major step toward ensuring medical self-sufficiency and promoting pharmaceutical industrialization in the country.
Pate concluded by reaffirming the government’s dedication to improving the healthcare system in Nigeria through investments in infrastructure, training, and regulatory frameworks, which will ultimately make Nigeria a hub for global healthcare services.
“What we produce here will not just be ‘Made in Nigeria’, but over time, it will be recognised as ‘Made in Africa’. This is a significant step towards self-sufficiency in medical products and pharmaceutical industrialisation.
“We are investing in infrastructure, human resources, and regulatory frameworks to create a healthcare system that Nigerians can rely on and that attracts patients from across the globe,” the Minister stated.