By Emma Ujah, Abuja Bureau Chief
The Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) said yesterday that its investments in healthcare have saved Nigeria about $200 million in foreign exchange outflows associated with medical tourism.
NSIA Managing Director, Aminu Umar-Sadiq, said the intervention was driven by the need to address medical tourism through the establishment of NSIA Advanced Medical Services Limited (MedServe).
According to him, “The results are both substantial and measurable. Since inception, MLCC has delivered more than 25,000 radiotherapy sessions and 10,000 chemotherapy treatments to approximately 15,000 unique patients.
“The centre has also recorded instances of reversed medical tourism, with Nigerians being referred from overseas providers on account of the quality and cost-effectiveness of services available locally.
“Treatment costs remain significantly below comparable international services, in many cases at less than half the cost of treatment abroad. It is estimated that these interventions have prevented more than US$200 million in foreign exchange outflows that would otherwise have been associated with overseas treatment and related expenses.”
Umar-Sadiq said the MedServe-LUTH Cancer Centre (MLCC), commissioned in Lagos in 2019, “became the first oncology centre in Nigeria to offer 3D Conformal Radiotherapy and today houses the largest concentration of radiotherapy equipment in West Africa.”
He added that its importance became evident during COVID-19 when travel restrictions disrupted access to overseas treatment.
According to him, MedServe’s diagnostic centres in Kano and Umuahia had provided pathology, radiology and diagnostic services to more than 410,000 patients by December 2025.
He said the Authority was expanding its healthcare footprint across 13 states, with plans for “13 new diagnostic centres, three additional oncology centres and three cardiac catheterisation laboratories,” aimed at bringing specialised healthcare closer to Nigerians.
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