Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration says plans are ongoing to develop a medical park to make the state a medical tourism hub.

Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat announced this on Sunday at the Duchess Royal Medical Check-Up unveiling in collaboration with Lagos Marriott Hotel at Ikeja.

The medical outfit is an exclusive three-day comprehensive total body health screening and wellness programme.

Mr Hamzat said the Lagos government would continue to commit funding to the health sector and ensure universal health coverage for which quality would be an essential component.

“The health sector in our country has over the years struggled to ensure quality in the delivery of health care services. The effect of this, apparently, has led to the mistrust of the population in health service delivery in the country,” said the deputy governor. This mistrust opened a whole new market for medical tourism, which is also called health tourism and basically refers to international travel for the purpose of receiving medical care.”

Mr Hamzat also stated that the National Association of Resident Doctors revealed that about N576 billion ($1.2 billion) was lost to medical tourism yearly in Nigeria.

“Every month, it was stated that about 9,000 medical tourists are from Nigeria out of which 5,000 visit India, Mumbai and Delhi,” disclosed the Lagos deputy governor.

He noted that it was worrisome when regular checkups or annual physical examinations had become a significant component of medical tourism.

“It is our belief and hope that such relationships will help to propel the state towards becoming an attractive destination for medical service provision and reduction in medical tourism,” added the deputy governor.

(NAN)