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Dr. Peter Mbah, the governor of Enugu State, has inaugurated the construction of a new 300-bed Enugu International Hospital, which he envisions as a transformative project. Once completed, the facility is expected to position Enugu as a premier destination for medical tourism across West Africa, a move aimed at elevating the state’s healthcare standards and attracting patients from the broader region.
He expressed confidence that the hospital would reverse the trend of Nigerians seeking healthcare overseas, offering a local alternative that could alleviate the financial and logistical burdens of medical travel.
Speaking at the inauguration of the multi-specialty hospital project in Enugu on Monday, Governor Mbah emphasized the state’s goal of tapping into the international medical tourism industry, a market estimated to be worth over $1 billion per year.
He highlighted that distinguished health experts from the diaspora have been engaging with the state government on collaborative healthcare projects. Governor Mbah assured potential partners that Enugu is committed to welcoming investment, business, and partnership opportunities in its health sector.
Mbah, who also called on more health professionals and other investors to see Enugu as a fertile market for business, and assured of returns-on-investment, said the government had already derisked investment flow and would continue to make the state eco-business friendly with the right incentives.
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“The Enugu International Hospital is going to be equipped with the state-of-the art facilities and we intend to attract top-notch professionals. We intend to work with our sons and daughters overseas who are interested in coming to express their professionalism on our soil. So, we’ll be taking this opportunity to remind them to come back and know that this place is open for them with the best state-of-the-art facilities they can get anywhere in the world,” he stated.
While expressing delight that the project was a reaffirmation of his administration commitment to reverse medical tourism overseas, Governor Mbah said the hospital would offer advanced and specialized services, research and training.
He said the construction of the international hospital, which had already commenced, would meet the needs of those travelling abroad for healthcare, noting that the administration had committed huge investment in the primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare services.
“We already know the interventions we made in the primary health sector with the construction of 260-type 2 primary healthcare centres and attending to 22 cottage and general hospitals across the state,” he said.
Governor Mbah further stated that the international hospital will also serve as both training and research centre for medical students from the major tertiary institutions in the state as well as ensuring that patients have access to the best healthcare delivery available anywhere in the world.
