Minister Canvasses Reduction in Medical Tourism
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has canvassed a reduction in medical tourism to strengthen the nation’s healthcare sector. He made the call during the 11th induction and oath-taking ceremony of 396 foreign-trained Medical Laboratory Science graduates in Abuja, recently. Represented by Dr. Obi Ugbo, Senior Technical Assistant to the Minister, Dr. Alausa reiterated the government’s commitment to recruiting and nurturing skilled healthcare professionals.
“The Federal Government is determined to reposition the health sector to match global standards,” he said, adding: “Spending over 2 billion dollars on health tourism is unsustainable. We must work together for a better outcome in our health sector.”
Meanwhile, the Minister also highlighted the urgent need to address the shortage of healthcare professionals, noting that fewer than 300,000 professionals are currently serving a population of over 200 million.
Earlier in his welcome remarks, the Registrar, Prof. Tosan Erhabor, assured of MLSCN’s dedication to excellence while calling for increased employment opportunities for young health professionals to mitigate brain drain. He also advocated for the establishment of a centralized pool for internship placements to support new graduates.
