The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Ali Pate, has said the quality of health care service and delivery is now improved in Nigeria as patients from the UK and U.S. are flooding the country for medical care. 

Mr Pate, who stated this on Tuesday, said the country has improved in the quality infrastructure and equipment, mostly at its teaching hospitals. 

He explained that the transformation promised by President Bola Tinubu in the country’s health sector was already taking shape, despite the challenges confronting the nation. 

“You can see that gradually, piece by piece, we have been building our health infrastructure, but also at a higher level in the teaching hospitals. People are now beginning to come from the subregion, and even from faraway places such as the UK and the US, to receive quality healthcare in Nigeria,” Mr Pate told State House correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by Mr Tinubu.

The minister added, “Despite the challenges we face, significant progress is being made, and the transformation promised by President Tinubu is already taking shape.” 

The minister further said that the federal government had approved contracts for the equipping of tertiary health facilities in the country.

He listed the beneficiaries as the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital; Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta; Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Osun State; Federal Medical Centre in Keffi; Modibbo Adama University Teaching Hospital, Adamawa State; and Federal Teaching Hospital, Kebbi.

Last year, Vice-President Kassim Shettima admitted that the country’s health sector was experiencing a worse moment with the type of service delivery to patients. 

Mr Shettima, who spoke while inaugurating a private health facility, Sahara Hospital in Abuja, noted that Nigerian hospitals had the potential to attract $4.8 billion in investment. 

Also, the National Bureau of Statistics had in its Gross Domestic Product report in 2024 indicated that the country’s health sector grew to 2.41 per cent, noting that the figure had yet to translate to improve healthcare for the majority of Nigerians grappling with the high cost of pharmaceuticals nationwide.