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by Royal Ibeh
Nigeria’s long-standing reliance on overseas medical treatment appears to be rapidly reversing, as new data from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) shows a dramatic collapse in spending on medical tourism, signalling a major shift in healthcare utilisation toward domestic facilities.
According to CBN figures covering January to June 2025, Nigeria’s medical tourism spending plunged by 96.2 percent year-on-year, falling from $2.38 million in the first half of 2024 to just $0.09 million in the corresponding period of 2025. The sharp contraction, amounting to a $2.29 million decline, marks one of the steepest drops recorded in outbound healthcare expenditure in recent years.
A breakdown of the data reveals that spending patterns in 2024 were driven by an unusual spike at the start of the year. Medical tourism expenditure opened at $2.30 million in January 2024, before collapsing to zero in February, remaining muted at $0.01 million in March, $0.00 million in April, edging up to $0.05 million in May, and easing again to $0.02 million in June.
By contrast, spending in the first half of 2025 remained consistently low throughout the six-month period. January recorded $0.06 million, followed by zero expenditure in February and March, a marginal $0.01 million in April, $0.00 million in May, and $0.02 million in June. No month in 2025 exceeded the $0.06 million mark, underscoring a sustained contraction rather than a temporary dip.
While foreign exchange constraints and tighter economic conditions have played a role, healthcare experts say the numbers increasingly reflect a deeper structural change: Nigeria’s growing capacity to deliver advanced, world-class medical care locally.
Over the past few years, private and public investments in healthcare infrastructure, specialist training, and cutting-edge medical technology have significantly expanded the range of complex procedures now available within the country—reducing the need for patients to seek treatment abroad.
Facilities such as Duchess International Hospital in Lagos have emerged as symbols of this shift. Since commencing operations, the hospital has performed complex procedures once considered exclusive to foreign centres, including 26 successful open-heart surgeries within its first two years. Its management has consistently positioned the hospital as a response to Nigeria’s long-standing medical tourism challenge, offering advanced care at a fraction of offshore costs.
Similarly, Nordica Fertility Centre’s introduction of High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) technology for fibroid treatment has eliminated the need for many women to travel to Europe, Asia, or the United States for non-invasive procedures. As the first HIFU centre in West Africa, Nordica has not only retained Nigerian patients but also attracted patients from neighbouring countries, effectively reversing the traditional flow of medical tourism.
In the area of cancer care and urology, The Prostate Centre (TPC) has further strengthened Nigeria’s healthcare credentials with the introduction of AI-powered HIFU therapy for prostate cancer, robotic surgeries, and non-invasive treatments for enlarged prostates. The centre’s capabilities now rival leading international institutions, offering same-day, incision-free procedures with minimal recovery time.
Prof. Kingsley Ekwueme, UK-based consultant urological and robotic surgeon, who has been instrumental in several of these innovations, has repeatedly emphasised that Nigeria is no longer limited by expertise but by scale and awareness. With ongoing training of local surgeons and expanding access to advanced technologies, he said Nigerian patients increasingly have “no medical reason” to travel abroad for care.
The CBN data appears to support this assessment. Analysts note that while January 2024’s spike suggests pent-up demand or exceptional cases, the absence of any rebound in 2025 points to a lasting behavioural change. Nigerians who once viewed overseas treatment as a necessity are increasingly choosing local hospitals capable of handling complex cardiac, oncological, orthopaedic, fertility, and neurological cases.
Policy developments may have reinforced this shift. In January 2025, Olayemi Cardoso, CBN governor launched the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Code, following the introduction of the Electronic Foreign Exchange Matching System in December 2024. The reforms tightened transparency and accountability in the FX market, making discretionary access to foreign exchange for non-essential spending, including overseas medical travel, more difficult.
Cardoso warned against a return to past practices that enabled privileged access to foreign exchange, noting that such distortions had fuelled inflation, weakened the naira, and eroded public trust. “Practices such as multiple exchange rates and unprecedented ways and means financing inflicted significant damage on market integrity,” he said, stressing that they must never return.
Beyond FX policy, healthcare professionals argue that confidence in local systems is the more decisive factor. Patient testimonials from hospitals performing open-heart surgeries, robotic cancer treatments, and complex reconstructions within Nigeria increasingly mirror outcomes once sought abroad, often at significantly lower costs.
As Nigeria continues to deepen healthcare capacity through public-private partnerships, specialist training, and technology adoption, the steep decline in medical tourism spending may mark a turning point. What was once a symbol of systemic weakness is now increasingly viewed as an avoidable expense.
For the first time in decades, the data suggests that Nigeria is not merely slowing medical tourism due to economic pressure, but outgrowing the need for it altogether.
