An Appraisal of the Causes and Implications of Medical Tourism on Nigerian Society and Economy

Abstract

Medical tourism is a term used to describe the movement of persons from one country to another with the aim of assessing better and effective Medicare. The focus of this paper is to examine some of the contributory factors to the rise of the phenomenon of medical tourism among Nigerians in recent years. The paper identifies two broad perspectives responsible for this trend in Nigeria. They are micro causative and macro causative factors. The paper also identifies some of the implications of medical tourism in Nigeria, amongst these are the huge capital flight to many European and Asian countries and the adverse image it has brought to Nigeria. It recommends among other things the ban on sponsoring top government officials for medical care and improvement in budgetary allocation for the health sector.