Federal Government Plans Medical Personnel Training Abroad to Curb Medical Tourism

The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has revealed the Federal Government’s strategy to send medical personnel abroad for specialized training in a bid to combat medical tourism and bolster research efforts.

Speaking at the investiture ceremony of Dr. Peter Ebeigbe as the 23rd President of the National Postgraduate Medical College in Lagos, Dr. Alausa disclosed that the Federal Ministry of Health is collaborating with the college to implement this initiative.

Dr. Alausa emphasized the importance of developing new curricula to address challenges within the health sector, including the establishment of training programs in various sub-specialities These programs aim to equip Nigerian medical professionals with advanced skills, thereby reducing reliance on medical tourism and fostering local research capabilities.

Key areas of focus for the new curricula include interventional cardiology, interventional radiology, pain medicine, critical care medicine, hospice and palliative medicine, robotic surgery, surgical oncology, and transplant surgery. The Federal Ministry of Health intends to finance the training of selected candidates abroad, with a requirement for them to be bonded upon completion.

In his address, Dr peter Ebeigbe highlighted the economic factors driving medical professionals to seek opportunities abroad, citing the need for urgent economic intervention to address dwindling earnings and prevent further brain drain from the healthcare sector.