By Ojima-Ojo Abubakar
A Nigerian healthcare company leveraging aviation services to deliver care has partnered with a Turkish hospital group to tap into the $8.5 trillion global healthcare market through expertise support in areas such as heart care and organ transplant.
Kasi Healthcare and Memorial Hospital Turkey will combine cutting-edge technology with innovative surgical techniques to improve patient outcomes and the overall quality of care in Nigeria.
The partnership will focus on boosting the provision of second opinions and specialised medical screenings, widening access to rigorous evaluations and alternative care options leveraging Turkey’s high-profile healthcare facilities.
It could further reduce the need for Nigerians to seek medical treatments abroad, saving billions of dollars Nigerians spend on outbound medical tourism each year.
The demand for foreign exchange to fund these overseas trips puts a strain on the economy, as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) reports that Nigerians spent a staggering $40 billion on healthcare and education abroad in the past decade, contributing to the devaluation of the naira.
Through this collaboration, Kasi Healthcare’s Aeromedical Unit will enhance healthcare services in Nigeria by providing air ambulance, medical escort, and ground handling from its Lagos airport clinic.
The clinic will also host visiting specialists from Memorial Hospital every month offering specialist second opinions and training courses for Nigerian providers.
Bashir Zainab Kiata, Memorial Hospital country executive said the group has a network of 11 hospitals in Turkey, four medical centers, and over 1,500 doctors, including 70 percent professors, 15 percent associate professors, and the rest specialists.
She said the group has accreditation from the US government and runs a leading IVF and kidney transplant programme with a high success rate.
She believes the collaboration will reduce the rate of misdiagnosis among Nigerians and provide free consultations and second medical opinions through bi-monthly visits.
She also noted it will involve knowledge sharing and expertise with Nigerian doctors and patients, offering affordable healthcare options by bringing specialists to Nigeria for consultations.
“Not every Nigerian can afford to travel out of Nigeria at the moment. We will take care of all departments, except sickle cell patients because Nigeria does not have a single facility that can handle sickle cell patients after the bone marrow transplant,” she said.
