The Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) has announced that its efforts in healthcare have saved Nigeria around $200 million that would have been spent on medical tourism, which is when people travel abroad for medical treatment. The NSIA's Managing Director, Aminu Umar-Sadiq, explained that this achievement is largely due to the establishment of a company called NSIA Advanced Medical Services Limited (MedServe), which focuses on improving local healthcare services. Since it started, a cancer treatment center called MedServe-LUTH Cancer Centre in Lagos has provided over 25,000 radiotherapy sessions and 10,000 chemotherapy treatments to about 15,000 patients. The services offered are often much cheaper than similar treatments abroad, sometimes costing less than half the price. Additionally, some patients from other countries are now being referred to this center because of the quality and affordability of care available in Nigeria. Umar-Sadiq mentioned that during the COVID-19 pandemic, when travel was restricted, the importance of local healthcare became even clearer. MedServe has also helped over 410,000 patients with diagnostic services in other Nigerian cities. The NSIA plans to continue expanding healthcare services by opening more diagnostic centers and specialized treatment facilities in various states across Nigeria.
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