EKSU CHANCELLOR OLOWOLAFE ADVOCATES TECHNOLOGY, RESEARCH TO REVERSE MEDICAL TOURISM
If Nigeria must reverse the trend of medical tourism, the country must be deliberate about investing in medical education, research, and knowledge development.
This formed part of the keynote address delivered by the Chancellor of Ekiti State University (EKSU), Dr. Tunji Olowolafe, at the 2025 Healthcare and Medical Expo of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) held in Abuja.
Stakeholders had over the years lamented that many of Nigeria’s best doctors continue to migrate abroad, while patients seek treatment overseas for procedures that could be handled locally.
Dr. Olowolafe emphasized that reversing medical tourism requires conscious investment in knowledge acquisition, research, faculty development, and medical education to ensure global competitiveness.
“To reverse medical tourism, there must be investment in knowledge acquisition, research, faculty development, and medical education that enable global relevance,” he stated.
The frontline entrepreneur advised that Nigerian doctors must be adequately equipped to compete favourably on the global stage, while calling for the embrace and optimal deployment of technology to advance the nation’s healthcare system.
“As Chancellor of Ekiti State University, I am especially mindful of the connection between education and healthcare transformation. We cannot reverse medical tourism without investing in knowledge production, research, faculty development, and medical education that equip our doctors to compete globally while staying locally relevant.
“Technology is the great equalizer of our time. It allows us to leapfrog infrastructural deficits that once constrained progress. We need to move from isolated excellence to integrated ecosystems that seamlessly connect our doctors, laboratories, universities, and investors,” Olowolafe submitted.
He challenged Africa to move from being a beneficiary of innovations to becoming a solution provider, in line with the theme of the programme: “Reversing Medical Tourism: Africans Investing in Africa.”
“We must make Africa not just a market for medical solutions, but a maker of medical breakthroughs,” he emphasized.
Dr. Olowolafe also highlighted the need for a new paradigm of knowledge and technology transfer, leveraging digital health platforms and artificial intelligence in diagnosis and other aspects of medical practice that would build trust in healthcare delivery and attract foreign investment.
The EKSU Chancellor further encouraged stakeholders in the sector to prioritize training in financial management, feasibility analysis, and digital learning for medical professionals to complement existing capacities, noting that Nigeria boasts some of the best medical skills globally.
He called on the NMA to leverage its strong network across states to engage stakeholders, the private sector, the Nigerian diaspora, and development partners in driving evidence-based policymaking capable of reversing medical tourism.Dr. Olowolafe also urged Nigerians to allow ongoing reforms by the Tinubu administration to crystallize over time, expressing optimism that international investors are already showing interest in setting up medical facilities in Nigeria.
According to him, these measures would help attract top talents back to the country, restore patients’ confidence in the local health system, and drastically reduce capital flight.
