…says people coming from US,UK,India, others to seek healthcare

By Joseph Erunke, Abuja

Alliance Hospital,Abuja,has saved Nigeria over $1 billion to medical tourism,the hospital’s Managing Director,Dr Christopher Otabor,has revealed.

This was as he said Nigerians from the United States,United Kingdom,India among other developed countries were begining to come home, to seek healthcare services in the hospital.

The chief consultant Othopaedic surgeon spoke Saturday night during an event,organised by the Federal Capital Territory, FCT branch of the Nigerian Medical Association,NMA,where he featured as keynote speaker.

Speaking at the event where he was presented an Award of Excellence in Medical Entrepreneurship, Otabor,whose presentation was tagged:”The Quest to Reduce Medical Tourism in Nigeria: The Alliance Hospital Experience”, explained that he established the hospital “significantly to reduce the rate of medical tourism from Nigeria and provide high quality medical care at a competitive price.”

Recalling that the hospital which started as a clinic in 2011, became full fledged hospital in 2014,after it was commissioned by then governor of Edo State,Adams Oshiomhole,he explained that he established the medical facility “significantly to reduce the rate of medical tourism from Nigeria and provide high quality medical care at a competitive price.

He was elated that from just one building,the hospital metamorphosed to occupying entire street, just as from being a ten-bed hospital, the hospital has now become a 70-bed hospital with cutting-edge equipment.

Hear him:”Every year, Nigeria loses over $1 billion to medical tourism. People are leaving the country to seek healthcare abroad. Something needed to be done and that is why Alliance Hospital was set up. And so,we acquired cutting-edge medical equipment as well as we retained the services of very experienced and dedicated workforce, medical team-resource for health and with those combinations,we have been able to create a significant dent in medical tourism from this country.

He spoke further:”Alliance Hospital was set up to stop or reduce incidences of medical tourism from Nigeria.

“We have done over a hundred kidney transplants in Alliance Hospital ,we have done over 156 spine surgeries in Alliance Hospital in the last couple of years and over 72 knee replacement surgeries and over 60 hip replacement surgeries within a short span. We have done almost 3,000 kidney dialysis ,the list is long, it’s unending. These are just a few of the statistics.

“These are the procedures that would have been flown abroad to do, but we are doing them here in Nigeria and safely too,so our results are excellent and we are producing good results and Nigerian and Nigerians are begining to believe in us.

“In a year, Alliance Hospital saves Nigeria over a hundred million dollars in terms of stopping people from medical tourism. I can assure you that.

“The kidney transplant in the United States is about $150,000 and in the United Kingdom,to do a kidney transplant is between £80,000 and £100,000. So if you do like ten kidney transplants,that is almost a million pounds, before you talk about the spine surgeries,the knee replacement surgeries and all the intensive care unit and so on and so forth. So there is a lot that we are doing and I can assure you that as a hospital,we save Nigeria over a hundred million dollars in terms of money that goes out to seek treatment abroad.

“Let me tell you that recently,we are begining to see a lot of Nigerians in the diaspora- in the United States,in the United Kingdom, coming to Abuja, coming to Alliance Hospital, flying in from the US, from India and other parts of the world to have their surgeries done in Alliance Hospital, because they have seen that the quality is there and yet,it is very cheap.”

Dr Otabor,who was elated over the award, said he feels fulfilled, given that the award,being the 21st of its kind within the ongoing year,was given by a professional body which he belongs.

“This award today is the 21st awards I’m receiving this year,and all the awards are from reputation organisations . But there is a special thing when your professional colleagues in the body of the Nigerian Medical Association ,the umbrella association of all Nigerian medical practitioners ,when such an organization gives you an award of excellence. It’s something that you should really ponder about.

“It tends to give you the reassurance that what you are doing is for real, because if there is anyone who can be critical of your job,it would have to be your colleagues. But if they can say ‘weldone, you are doing well’, amongst the several thousands of us, it’s something to celebrate. So I appreciate the award of excellence by the Nigerian Medical Association as given to me today, especially in the area of medical entrepreneurship. It is well received and well appreciated”,he added.