The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, says he is determined to reverse the medical tourism of Nigerians.
He said this Monday at a ceremony to celebrate his resumption of office, and that of the minister of state, at the Ministry of Health in Abuja.
Prof. Pate emphasized the need to make Nigeria’s health system better and improve the health of people in the country.
He also called for stronger collaboration between the federal, state, and local governments, as well as the private sector and other stakeholders.
“When you fly from Addis Ababa to India, you see a lot of people going for medical tourism, and it is not something we should see as normal,” he said.
“We should do something about it and improve our health outcomes.”
At the ceremony, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Tunji Alausa, pledged to work closely with Prof. Pate to ensure that Nigerians receive the best healthcare delivery within Nigeria.
“We will start thinking about healthcare as a human rights issue,” Dr. Alausa declared.
“Lack of basic healthcare for any Nigerian from now on will be considered a violation of Nigerian human rights.”
The newly inaugurated ministers assumed office on Monday after the ministerial inauguration ceremony that took place at the State House Conference Center in Abuja.
