Ali Pate: Africans now considering Nigeria for medical care — our health sector improving

Ali Pate, minister of health and social welfare, says people from other African countries are now considering Nigeria for medical care.

Pate said this on Monday during an interview with Channels Television.

Speaking on migration of doctors and medical tourism, the minister said in the last six months, he has visited several teaching hospitals and found that they are manned by world class Nigerian professionals.

He said many world class Nigerian professionals in the United Kingdom, United States and Australia are all looking forward to coming back home because the president has restored their hopes and renewed their commitment to the nation.

“Many of those who go abroad, go and see Nigerian physicians. There are many of the medical professionals that are yearning to come back and now we have a president that has rekindled that hope,” he said.

Pate said with the expansion of the health sector infrastructure, many of the medical professionals will return to Nigeria and “Nigerians will begin to look around and see that there are services they can get here”.

“There was a time when if somebody has cancer, they would have to go abroad to get cancer therapy,” he said.

“And that is why this administration took a decisive step in 2024 and put it in the budget to solve the problem. Mr. President has been here less than a year and is already changing direction and people are seeing that.

“I have gotten reports of people now thinking of coming to Nigeria for medical care from this continent. This is just the start.”

The minister said Nigerians will soon begin to see major changes in the health sector which will renew their hope in the government.

“I think Nigerians have been conditioned to have low levels of expectations in the government. That’s why we’re talking less and doing more. The reality of change will be what changes the minds of Nigerians,” he said.

“In the next three to six months, Nigerians will see groundbreaking infrastructure investment to expand diagnostic capabilities all over this country — at least eight of them including two major oncology centres.”