Nigerian spends $1bn annually on medical tourism

Abuja — The Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, Uche Orji has said that about 30,000 Nigerians spent $1 billion annually on medical tourism. Orji disclosed this while speaking at a side session of the just concluded World Economic Forum on Africa, organised by PriceWaterhouseCoopers, PWC. He said opportunities abound in the Nigerian healthcare sector for private sector participation, if the affluent class had the will and determination to end the capital flight and invest the money back in the local economy. According to him, 60 per cent of the said amount is spent in four major areas of healthcare, namely: cardiology, orthopaedic, renal dialysis issues and cancer, saying those entrepreneurial opportunities abound in the field only for those who could seize the opportunity by redirecting the cash flow into the comatose local health sector.