FG Bent on Curbing Medical Tourism, Says Mamora

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The Minister of State for Health, Dr. Olorunnimbe Mamora has restated the resolve of the federal government to curb medical tourism.
He said the administration will, in addition to implementing policy actions, support initiatives from individuals and groups to achieve the objective.

A statement signed by the Head of Press and Public Relations in the minister of state’s office, Eunice Akro, noted that Mamora disclosed this during a courtesy visit by a team from CPL Medical Group Limited, who gave him an update on the status of the third phase of the federal government/CPL Medical Group partnership on the Special Presidential Intervention Project to advance the tertiary health sector.

The minister of state expressed delight at the progress reported by the team in the implementation of the various stages of the deal which also involved the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC).

He hailed the initiative, describing it as one of the focal points of the present administration to make the healthcare system functional and effective.

Mamora noted that medical tourism was not necessarily an outcome of the lack of medical equipment but encompasses a whole lot of things such as lack of conducive hospital environment and poor attitude of health workers towards health care delivery.

The team, led by the Chairman of the group, Albert Awofisayo said the purpose of the visit was to solicit government’s support towards the successful rehabilitation of the 22 federal university teaching hospitals and the construction of a green-field 500-bed federal center of medical excellence in Abuja with the collaboration of Mayo Clinic, Rochester, USA.

While pleading that the project be considered as a strategic project, Awofisayo assured that the standard of services to be provided by the 500-bed Federal Centre of Medical Excellence will be of best global standards geared at curbing medical tourism.