Sustaining gains of Nigeria’s medical tourism reversal

Although some medical practitioners say this is not true, we know that for decades, Nigeria’s medical tourism spending told a painful story about national failure, of underfunded hospitals, eroding confidence, and an elite that routinely sought care abroad while local systems suffered. We can remember too that each year, billions of dollars quietly left the country (official and unofficial), draining scarce foreign exchange and reinforcing the belief that quality healthcare was unattainable at home. Today, that narrative is now being challenged in an unexpected but encouraging way.

New data from the Central Bank of Nigeria show that Nigeria’s spending on medical tourism collapsed by more than 96 percent in the first half of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024. If this is true (as there is a serious pushback against this), from $2.38 million to just $0.09 million, the plunge is not merely dramatic but historic. For the first time in many years, Nigeria has avoided a medical tourism spending surge and instead recorded a sustained reduction. This reversal matters, not only for what it saves, but for what it signals about the country’s evolving healthcare capacity and economic confidence.

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Sceptics may argue that the drop reflects foreign exchange scarcity rather than genuine progress. There is some truth in that. Tighter FX conditions and more disciplined allocation policies have made discretionary overseas spending harder. But the pattern in the data suggests something deeper. Medical tourism spending in 2025 did not rebound in any month. Instead, it remained consistently low, pointing to a behavioural shift rather than a temporary suppression of demand. Nigerians who once felt compelled to seek treatment abroad are increasingly choosing to stay.

This shift carries far-reaching economic implications. Medical tourism has long been an invisible but significant drain on Nigeria’s foreign reserves. Each trip abroad for surgery, cancer treatment or fertility care meant not only medical bills but also flights, accommodation and ancillary expenses paid in scarce dollars. Reducing this outflow eases pressure on the naira, improves balance-of-payments dynamics and keeps wealth circulating within the domestic economy. In an era of fragile macroeconomic stability, that alone is a strategic gain.

More importantly, the decline reflects tangible improvements in local healthcare delivery. Over the past few years, targeted private investment, specialist training and technology adoption have expanded the scope of complex procedures available within Nigeria. Hospitals once dismissed as incapable are now performing surgeries and therapies that previously defined medical travel destinations.

Facilities such as Duchess International Hospital illustrate this transformation. In under two years of operation, the hospital has completed dozens of open-heart surgeries, procedures that previously sent patients to India, Europe or the Middle East. These successes are not symbolic but represent lives saved, skills retained and confidence rebuilt.

Also, Nordica Fertility Centre has disrupted outbound fertility tourism by introducing High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) for fibroid treatment. As the first centre in West Africa to deploy the technology, Nordica has not only retained Nigerian patients but also attracted others from the sub-region, reversing the traditional flow of medical tourism and turning Nigeria into a destination rather than a departure point.
In oncology and urology, The Prostate Centre has further strengthened the case for staying local, offering AI-powered HIFU therapy, robotic surgeries and non-invasive prostate treatments with outcomes comparable to leading international centres. The involvement of specialists such as Kingsley Ekwueme underscores a crucial reality: that Nigeria’s problem is no longer a lack of expertise, but how widely and equitably that expertise is deployed.

Likewise, policy discipline has reinforced these gains. Under Olayemi Cardoso, the CBN’s FX reform (including the Electronic Foreign Exchange Matching System and the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Code) has curtailed discretionary access to foreign currency for non-essential spending. By closing loopholes that once enabled privileged medical travel, the reforms have pushed patients and policymakers alike to confront domestic alternatives. In doing so, they have aligned financial incentives with national development goals.

Read also: Nigeria’s medical tourism spending crashes 96% as local healthcare capacity deepens

This progress is fragile, as a medical tourism reversal driven by genuine capacity growth must not be mistaken for mission accomplished. Sustaining the gains requires deliberate action. Public policy must continue to support healthcare investment through stable regulation, access to long-term financing and incentives for advanced equipment acquisition. Also, specialist training and retention are critical. Without a pipeline of skilled professionals, today’s centres of excellence risk becoming isolated islands.

Similarly, public trust must be protected, as quality assurance, transparent outcomes reporting and strong regulation are essential to ensure that the rush to local care does not compromise patient safety.
Moreover, awareness matters, as many Nigerians still default to foreign care out of habit rather than necessity. Changing perceptions is as important as changing capacity.

The collapse in medical tourism spending is more than a fiscal statistic. It is a marker of possibility, a proof that Nigeria can reverse long-standing weaknesses when policy discipline aligns with private innovation. What was once an embarrassing symbol of systemic failure is fast becoming an avoidable expense. The task now is to ensure that this moment becomes a foundation, not a footnote, in Nigeria’s journey toward healthcare self-reliance.