Garki traditional ruler calls for specialist hospitals to reduce medical tourism

Alhaji Usman Ngakupi, Chairman of the Garki Chiefdom Traditional Council, has called on the West African College of Physicians (WACP) to collaborate with governments and private investors to establish specialized tertiary hospitals across West Africa.

Speaking during a medical outreach for the WACP’s 50th Annual General Scientific Meeting, Ngakupi noted that many Africans currently travel to the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Turkey, and India for medical treatments that could be provided locally. He emphasized that investing in local healthcare would alleviate the financial burden on patients who spend significant foreign currency seeking care abroad.

Ngakupi also addressed the issue of physician migration, urging governments to improve welfare and working conditions to retain trained medical professionals. He suggested that business leaders, including Aliko Dangote, should be involved in mobilizing resources to build these facilities, with the goal of making African medical centers destinations for healthcare tourism.