On Thursday, the Kano State Independent Research Centre Trust (KIRCT) opened its clinical services to the general public. Through providing international-quality healthcare, the KIRCT hopes to deter Nigerians from travelling abroad for medical treatment.
Pfizer founded the Research Trust Centre for the Kano State government ten years ago with the goal of doing healthcare and biomedical research on both infectious and non-communicable disorders.
Speaking at the event, Jamil Ismail Ahmad, the Chief Medical Director of the Trust, noted that Nigeria lost roughly US $2 billion annually to medical tourism. He promised, however, that their facility would close the gap by offering clinical services that would make medical tourism unappealing to Nigerians looking for treatment.
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According to some research, Nigeria spends between US$1.5 and US$2 billion annually on medical tourism—travelers seeking treatment, particularly for conditions related to the heart, kidneys, cancer, and spine, among other conditions. Ahmad made this claim.
He acknowledged that the glaring problems in Nigeria’s hospital environment and healthcare system—such as the scarcity of medical supplies and the exodus of physicians and specialists to other nations—were driving people to seek treatment outside.
We believed that there was an opportunity as a result. Rather than having to pay for a visa, a plane ticket, lodging, and medical care before leaving the country, he said, “you can come here in comfort, close to your immediate family and culture, and receive the same care that you need to get well, without stepping outside this country.”
He claimed that during the first year, their hospital would offer all general healthcare services at the best calibre possible and that by the second year, they would start treating conditions like renal and heart problems among others.
He expressed optimism that they would be able to effectively compete with all other nations and foreign hospitals offering the best possible healthcare services by the end of the second year.
The District Head of Dawaki Kudu, Jafaru Usman Mohammed, spoke on behalf of the Emir of Gaya, who thanked the Trust for all of its contributions to the state’s healthcare system and urged them to keep up the pace.
He begged his people to take use of the clinical facility’s health care offerings in order to enhance their health by promptly and routinely checking up on their ailments and receiving treatment when needed.
