Duchess hospital moves to curb medical tourism after 44 open-heart surgeries

Management of Duchess International Hospital, Lagos, says it is investing heavily in cardiovascular health and specialist care to curb medical tourism as the hospital marks its fifth anniversary, having performed 2,053 complex surgical procedures, including 44 open-heart surgeries.

 The management said the hospital had reduced the need for Nigerians to travel abroad for cardiac treatment and surgery by providing high-quality care locally.

 It pledged to intensify efforts to reverse the trend of medical tourism.

 According to the management, Nigerian medical specialists in the diaspora are returning home to perform complex surgeries at the hospital, giving patients access to advanced treatment without travelling abroad.

 The move, it noted, is helping patients avoid long waiting lists abroad and reduce treatment costs by more than 50 per cent.

 The West African Health Sector Unions Network disclosed in 2022 that Nigerians spent an estimated $1bn annually on medical tourism.

 It attributed the exodus of Nigerian doctors to countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States to inadequate healthcare facilities and poor working conditions.

 The Chief Operating Officer of Duchess International Hospital, Dr Olajide Ojo, said the hospital provided care to an estimated 40,000 outpatients annually, delivered 500 babies and performed 2,053 paediatric and adult surgical procedures, about 65 per cent of which were major and complex operations, including spinal surgeries.

 Speaking on the anniversary theme, Five Years of Delivering World-Class Healthcare: Transforming Medicine Through Innovation and Excellence, which highlighted the hospital’s milestones since its establishment in 2021, Ojo said the facility had built clinical capacity to meet Nigerians’ growing healthcare needs.

 The consultant paediatrician said the hospital had successfully performed 44 open-heart surgeries, comprising 20 paediatric and 24 adult procedures, since launching its open-heart surgery programme in 2023.

 Ojo explained that the hospital’s collaboration with the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, through the Duchess Waiting List Initiative, had improved access to cardiovascular surgery for patients facing prolonged waiting periods.

 “These milestones tell a strategic story of a hospital committed to advancing boundaries of specialist medicine while never losing sight of the individual human being at the centre of every encounter,” Ojo said.

 He noted that the hospital’s first five years represented “not just the growth of an institution but the steady building of clinical capability, the strengthening of trust and the transformation of healthcare, one patient at a time.”

 The Chairman of Duchess International Hospital, Dr Yemi Onabowale, said the hospital had touched lives over the past five years through its affordable healthcare programmes and corporate social responsibility initiatives.

 He said the hospital was established to address gaps in advanced medical care and reduce Nigerians’ dependence on overseas treatment.

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 From cardiac care to diagnostics and specialist services, Onabowale said the hospital remained focused on delivering care that met international standards within a local setting.

 The cardiologist commended the hospital’s management and staff for their dedication to quality patient care, noting that the facility won the Nigerian Healthcare Excellence Award for Best Private Healthcare Facility in Nigeria in 2024 and 2025.

 “Our future ambition is to continue to expand access to quality healthcare, strengthen specialist services, invest in our people and technology, and ensure that more Nigerians can receive advanced medical treatment at home,” Onabowale said.

 Looking ahead, the chairman said Duchess International Hospital aimed to strengthen its clinical capabilities, expand access to specialist care, transform more lives, deepen its social impact and boost confidence in Nigeria’s healthcare system over the next five years.

 The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, who attended the anniversary as a special guest, said the Federal Government was addressing the exodus of medical professionals abroad, popularly known as japa, by creating an enabling environment for healthcare professionals to practise in Nigeria.

 He said the government was pursuing this through investments in modern hospitals and improved remuneration packages for medical personnel.

 Salako added that the Federal Government was strengthening the tertiary healthcare system to reduce medical tourism.

 He commended Duchess International Hospital for its advanced medical facilities and quality patient care, which he said had distinguished it from other healthcare providers.

 The minister also praised the hospital for its contribution to the healthcare system, noting that its efforts complemented the government’s investments in the sector.

 In her remarks, the wife of the Lagos State Governor, Dr Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, said strong partnerships between the public and private sectors were essential to expanding healthcare capacity, encouraging innovation and improving service delivery.

 Represented by the Medical Director of the General Hospital, Ebute Metta, Dr Folakemi Irewole-Ojo, Sanwo-Olu commended the hospital’s management for providing high-quality healthcare in Lagos State and contributing to efforts to reverse medical tourism.

 Delivering the anniversary lecture, a professor of cardiology at Spire Hospital, Cardiff, UK, Prof. Nicholas Ossei-Gerning, warned that cardiovascular diseases and stroke remain leading causes of death globally, urging regular medical checks to detect risk factors early.

 The cardiologist disclosed that erectile dysfunction, which many men were reluctant to discuss, could be an early warning sign of underlying cardiovascular problems.

 Ossei-Gerning discussed the management of cardiovascular health and highlighted major risk factors, including high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, stress, depression, anxiety and a lack of social support.

 He described erectile dysfunction as an important marker of cardiovascular disease, urging men to undergo regular medical checks to identify potential problems early and reduce the risk of life-threatening complications.