The Federal government has urged Nigerian health workers based abroad, especially in the United Kingdom, to contribute in making Nigeria a medical tourism destination.
The Chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, made the pleas on Monday at the 25th anniversary gala night of the Nigerian Nurses Charitable Association in the UK, a United Kingdom-based Diaspora group.
The NiDCOM spokesperson, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, said in a statement that Dabiri-Erewa, commended the nurses and midwives for their charitable works, but urged them to continue giving back to society.
“Nigerian healthcare practitioners in the diaspora, working with their counterparts in Nigeria can make Nigeria a medical tourist destination,” she said, adding that the President Bola Tinubu’s administration is committed to improving healthcare facilities and practice in Nigeria.
She further called for more collaboration by establishing partnerships for knowledge exchange, telemedicine initiatives, and skills transfer programmes.
In her response, the President of the Association, Wendy Olayiwola, noted that they would continue to contribute their expertise through their collaborations with medical institutions back in Nigeria, stressing the need to create more platforms for networking and communication to foster a collaborative environment for sharing insights and best practices.