Expert Seeks Tax Incentives for Healthcare Providers to Tackle Brain Drain
The Chief Executive Officer, Diamed Healthcare Centre, Dr Abiola Olorode, has called on the government to support healthcare providers with tax breaks and subsidies to sustain high-quality facilities and reverse the brain drain in the medical field.
Olorode, who spoke at a press briefing during the launch of the healthcare centre, said government intervention would encourage other healthcare providers and entice Nigerian doctors abroad to return home.
She said the new state-of-the-art facilities would not only improve patient care through advanced diagnostics but would enable accurate diagnosis and effective management of patients, thereby reducing mortality and morbidity rates.
She said that many Nigerian doctors practising overseas should be encouraged their return home to contribute their expertise.
Olorode, who has over three decades of experience in the health sector, noted that many Nigerians would return or stay at home for medical treatment if they could receive the same high-quality care at a lower cost.
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“When you look at immigrants with degrees in the UK and the U.S., many are Nigerians. We work hard, we are hustlers, and we have elasticity; we want to improve the management of patients with the technology available, the facilities here are similar to the type of facilities they have anywhere in the world.
“Nigerian doctors abroad want to come back home but the problem is that they don’t have a conducive environment to come back to. They read a lot of things in the textbooks but they don’t see it to work with, which can be frustrating. We are hoping that this centre would offer them the facilities,” she said.
Olorode, who had served as health manager at The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), stressed the importance of regular check-ups and preventive care, adding that such practices could improve health outcomes and reduce healthcare costs in the long run.
The facility manager, Adeyanju Joseph, said innovations like nanotechnology and artificial intelligence (AI) have revolutionised healthcare, allowing for more precise diagnoses and effective treatments.
“The centre’s systems include APIs that interface with AI, which enhances the accuracy and comprehensiveness of clinical reports.” he stated.
