Olorunnimbe Mamora, the Minister of State for Health has said that the Royal Family of Saudi Arabia used to travel to Nigeria for medical treatment in the past.
The minister who stated this in Abuja on Monday, mentioned that Nigeria used to benefit from the proceeds of medical tourism, as citizens of other nations used to travel to the country to get medical treatment.
He said: “In the 50s and 60s, Nigeria benefitted from medical tourism even as the royal family from Saudi Arabia used to come to the University Teaching Hospital, Ibadan for treatment.
“Some people travel abroad for treatment to get equipment or facilities that are not in the country. We need to ensure that we have facilities on the ground that will make our citizens stay back home for treatment. This includes; physical infrastructure, personnel, and equipment.
“Our duty as a country is to put in place proper medicare facilities to take care of the health of citizens.
“Once these things are provided, medical tourism will be reduced and it will make our hospitals attractive.”
