US, UK citizens now visit Nigeria for quality healthcare, says Ali Pate

Ali Pate, coordinating minister of health and social welfare, says patients from the UK, US and the West African subregion have been flocking to Nigeria for quality medical care. 

Pate spoke on Tuesday while briefing State House correspondents at the end of the federal executive council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu.

“People are now beginning to come from the subregion, and even from faraway places like the UK and the US, to receive quality healthcare in Nigeria,” he said.

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

The minister said the federal government has approved contracts for the equipping of tertiary health facilities — including approval of N12 billion for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) — an advanced diagnostic equipment — across six tertiary health institutions.

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

“This investment in critical diagnostic infrastructure is part of a broader effort to expand Nigeria’s health system capacity, ensuring that our tertiary institutions can offer world-class medical services,” he added.

Pate said Nigeria has ratified the African Medicines Agency (AMA) Treaty which aims to harmonise medical regulatory standards across the continent.

Adopted by the African Union in 2019, the treaty seeks to improve access to safe, quality, and effective medical products through a pan-African regulatory framework.

“So far, 37 African Union member states have signed the treaty, with 26 having ratified it. Today, the federal executive council directed that Nigeria take all necessary actions to give full effect to this treaty,” he stated.

The minister said the move would expand Nigeria’s pharmaceutical market beyond the nation’s borders, allowing locally manufactured medical products to meet continental standards.

“What we produce here will not just be ‘Made in Nigeria’, but over time, it will be recognised as ‘Made in Africa’. This is a significant step towards self-sufficiency in medical products and pharmaceutical industrialisation,” he said.

“We are investing in infrastructure, human resources, and regulatory frameworks to create a healthcare system that Nigerians can rely on and that attracts patients from across the globe.”