Nigeria can reverse the trend of medical tourism and improve its low life expectancy through sustained investment in technology, local healthcare capacity and collaboration with Nigerian medical professionals.

The Founder of Save-A-Life Mission Hospital, Port Harcourt, Dr Richard Okoye, said the hospital was already achieving this goal through enhanced healthcare delivery and improved access to quality medical care.

Dr Okoye stated this at the weekend, while highlighting how his innovations in the medical sector have brought succour and faster access to healthcare for patients in need.

Okoye, said he chose to remain in Nigeria despite the mass migration of medical professionals, popularly known as “Japa”, and instead invested in building what he described as a world-class, fully digitalised healthcare system.

He said the hospital’s commitment was driven by the need to strengthen Nigeria’s healthcare system, reduce the number of Nigerians seeking medical treatment abroad and provide timely, quality and affordable healthcare locally.

He expressed concern that Nigeria’s doctor-to-patient ratio had deteriorated significantly, particularly in rural communities, where access to medical care remains limited.

According to him, the challenge goes beyond the number of doctors leaving the country, as the migration also represents a depletion of expertise and quality in the healthcare system.

He said the situation had contributed to Nigeria’s low life expectancy, stressing that maternal and child health remained major determinants of the country’s health outcomes.

Okoye said his intervention began in 2014 when he conceived the idea of developing technology capable of embedding international standards of medical practice into healthcare delivery.

He disclosed that work on the technology commenced in the United States in 2016 and had since evolved into a digital healthcare ecosystem deployed at Save-A-Life Mission Hospital and in underserved communities.

He said the hospital uses real-time monitoring, electronic medical records, artificial intelligence-assisted clinical decision support and a situation room where doctors monitor patients continuously.

According to him, the hospital’s “My Home Clinic” application enables patients to book appointments, provide medical information before consultations and receive professional guidance remotely.

He said the system could also assist doctors with differential diagnoses, recommended investigations and medication choices while blocking prescriptions that could be harmful to patients with certain conditions.

“This technology is not meant to replace doctors. It is meant to ensure that whatever anybody is doing is within the international standard of medical practice,” he said.

Okoye added that the technology was also being adapted for rural communities where electricity and internet connectivity remained major challenges.

He said the hospital had deployed solar-powered systems and satellite connectivity in some communities in Abia State, allowing health workers to transmit patients’ vital signs to doctors in real time.

The initiative, he said, includes remote monitoring devices for blood pressure, blood sugar and urine tests, particularly to detect complications among pregnant women.

He also disclosed plans to introduce an advanced ambulance system into Nigeria in October, describing it as a mobile emergency-care unit equipped with technology that would enable doctors to monitor patients remotely while in transit.

Okoye said the system would help bridge the gap between primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities through triage and real-time referrals.

Beyond technology, he said Save-A-Life was creating a system through which Nigerian doctors based abroad could support patients in Nigeria remotely, while also returning periodically to train and work with local teams.

He noted that the model was already attracting patients from other states and countries, with Nigerians in the diaspora able to monitor the treatment of relatives receiving care in Port Harcourt.

The hospital, he said, was also investing in advanced procedures and equipment, including robotic technology, to provide treatments that Nigerians previously travelled abroad to obtain.

Okoye said the ultimate objective was to reverse medical tourism by making high-quality healthcare available domestically.

He said the economic benefits extended beyond healthcare, arguing that a healthy workforce was essential to productivity and national development.

“Your prosperity is tied to your health. The productivity of any company is directly proportional to the health of the individuals that make up that company,” he said.

He added that Save-A-Life had received interest from state governments, including the Abia State Government, in deploying aspects of its digital healthcare model across communities.

Okoye said the hospital currently attracts only about 30 per cent of its patients from Port Harcourt, with the majority coming from other states and countries.

He expressed optimism that continued investment in technology, training and healthcare infrastructure would place Nigeria on an upward trajectory in life expectancy and reduce the number of Nigerians travelling abroad for medical treatment.

“The reversal of medical tourism is absolutely the summary of it,” he said.