Caritas Nigeria has urged the Federal Government to address the poor state of infrastructure in health facilities across the country to stem medical tourism and the brain drain crippling the health sector.

Executive Secretary of Caritas Nigeria, Rev. Fr. Peter Audu, made the call during a medical outreach in Abuja, lamenting that public office holders prefer to seek treatment abroad rather than invest in equipping hospitals at home.

He also appealed for improved welfare for healthcare workers to curb incessant strikes that disrupt service delivery. According to him, many Nigerians, especially those in rural communities, face serious medical challenges but cannot access care due to a lack of facilities, poor infrastructure, and widespread poverty.

Audu disclosed that the organisation has executed about 117 projects in the past 15 years, reaching over 18 million beneficiaries. He explained that the free medical services offered during the outreach reflect the values of the Church, aimed at enhancing human dignity and supporting society’s most vulnerable.

Also speaking, Caritas Nigeria’s Senior Technical Adviser for TB and Infectious Diseases, Dr Chukwuemeka Okorie, explained that the agency, an arm of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, provides a wide range of humanitarian and emergency services. At the outreach, beneficiaries accessed general consultations, dental care, optometry, mental health services, pharmacy, and laboratory tests.

“We are handling medical quick fixes and referring patients who require specialist care. The Ideal Dental Foundation has promised to take on advanced dental cases free of charge, while optometrists are screening patients who may need surgical interventions,” Okorie said.

He added that Caritas is working closely with the National Leprosy and Buruli Ulcer Control Programme of the Federal Ministry of Health. Suspected cases are referred to primary health centres, where samples are collected for TB testing and diagnosis.

Programme Director of Caritas Nigeria, Dr Amana Effiong, said the outreach not only provides free medical care to residents but also offers health education and counselling on preventing common diseases.

Meanwhile, as part of its 15th anniversary activities, the organisation has delivered free medical services to more than 800 residents of the Durumi community in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).