FG Commissions NSIA Diagnostic Centres in Bauchi, Ibadan
Oyedele says reforms must translate stability into investment and better lives
The Federal Government has described healthcare as critical economic infrastructure, saying investment in the health of Nigerians is an investment in human capital, productivity and long-term economic growth.
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele, stated this on Monday, October 5, at the commissioning of NSIA MedServe Diagnostic Centres in Bauchi and Ibadan under the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) Healthcare Expansion Programme.
Oyedele said the significance of the investments goes beyond the facilities being commissioned, noting that a healthy population is better able to work, learn and contribute productively to the economy, while illness places a heavy burden on households through medical expenses, lost income and depleted savings.
In a statement by Efe Ovuakporie, the Ministry’s Head of Information and Public Relations, Oyedele highlighted that the projects also demonstrate how government can use public capital to crowd-in private and development financing for critical infrastructure.
“Government budgets alone cannot meet Nigeria’s development needs. The question cannot only be how much government spends. It must also be how much private and development capital government can mobilise,” he said.
The Minister commended the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the World Bank Group for supporting the programme, particularly through long-tenor, local-currency financing, which he said is well suited to long-term assets whose revenues are generated in naira.
According to him, the financing model has potential for replication across other priority sectors, including infrastructure, agriculture, energy and housing.
Oyedele said earlier investments by NSIA in healthcare had demonstrated the scale of unmet demand for specialised medical services in Nigeria. He noted that the MedServe LUTH Cancer Centre had treated more than 16,700 patients and delivered over 30,000 radiotherapy sessions and 25,000 chemotherapy treatments, while diagnostic centres in Kano and Umuahia had served more than 410,000 patients as of December 2025.
He added that MedServe is now developing 23 new diagnostic centres across the country in two phases, including three centres with oncology units and three with cardiac catheterisation laboratories.
The Minister noted that the expansion would bring specialised diagnostic and treatment services closer to Nigerians, reducing the burden of travelling long distances for care and, in some cases, seeking treatment outside the country.
He linked the investment to the Federal Government’s broader effort to reduce medical tourism and retain more economic value within Nigeria.
“Every procedure performed at home keeps value, jobs and expertise in our economy and eases pressure on foreign exchange,” he said.
Oyedele stressed that Nigeria’s ambition should go beyond reducing outbound medical tourism to building a competitive healthcare economy capable of serving patients within Nigeria and attracting patients from across Africa.
The Minister stressed that this would require sustained investment not only in buildings and medical equipment, but also in the people and systems needed to operate them effectively.
According to him, Nigeria must retain and continuously develop doctors, nurses, radiographers, laboratory scientists, technicians and other specialised healthcare professionals, while building domestic capacity in medical technology, equipment maintenance and pharmaceutical production.
He said the success of the investments should be judged by outcomes, rather than the number of facilities commissioned.
“The real test is whether the equipment still works in ten years, whether we retain qualified staff, and whether patients are treated with dignity, diagnosed earlier and able to afford the care they receive,” Oyedele said.
He emphasized that the investments are consistent with the broader objective of the Federal Government’s economic reforms, which is to translate macroeconomic stability into productive investment, improved public services and better living standards.
“Macroeconomic stability is not the destination. It is the foundation. We are converting stability into investment, investment into services, and growth into better lives,” he added.
He congratulated the NSIA and MedServe teams, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Bauchi and Oyo State Governments, the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, the relevant healthcare institutions in Ibadan, the IFC and other partners for delivering the projects.
