Duchess International Hospital performs 44 open-heart surgeries as Nigeria battles medical tourism

Duchess International Hospital in Lagos has performed 44 open-heart surgeries since launching its cardiac surgery programme in 2023, highlighting the growing role of private specialist hospitals in Nigeria’s efforts to reduce dependence on overseas medical treatment.

The hospital, which marked its fifth anniversary in Lagos, has also performed 2,053 surgical procedures since commencing operations in October 2021, with major and complex operations accounting for 60 percent of the total, according to its management.

The figures come as the federal government seeks to strengthen domestic healthcare capacity, attract Nigerian medical professionals living abroad and reduce the number of patients travelling overseas for treatment.

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Speaking at the anniversary celebration, Iziaq Adekunle Salako, minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, said the government was working to improve local healthcare delivery through infrastructure investment, expanded health insurance coverage and policies designed to attract private investment.

Salako cited a reported 52 percent reduction in foreign exchange requests for medical tourism in 2025, saying specialist facilities such as Duchess could have contributed to the decline. He did not attribute the reduction exclusively to the hospital.

“There is no doubt that Duchess International Hospital is a high-standard healthcare facility capable of providing quality care, complex surgeries and advanced medical procedures,” he said.

Nigeria has continued to face challenges in providing accessible specialist treatment, particularly for complex conditions that require advanced equipment and highly trained medical personnel. For patients seeking such services, overseas treatment can involve substantial costs beyond medical bills, including travel, accommodation and extended stays.

Expanding the availability of advanced procedures within Nigeria could help give patients more treatment options locally, although the scale of any reduction in medical tourism will depend on the affordability, accessibility and outcomes of domestic services.

Building local cardiac surgery capacity

Olajide Ojo, chief operating officer of Duchess International Hospital, said the facility was established to demonstrate that advanced medical treatment could be delivered within Nigeria.

According to Ojo, the hospital’s open-heart surgery programme, launched in 2023, has performed 20 procedures on children and 24 on adults.

The hospital also operates a catheterisation laboratory that supports interventional cardiac and radiological procedures, expanding the range of specialist services available to patients.

Cardiac care is particularly significant in the effort to strengthen local healthcare capacity because treatment can require specialised surgical teams, diagnostic equipment, intensive care facilities and coordinated post-operative monitoring.

The hospital has also collaborated with Lagos State University through the Doctors Waiting List Initiative, which Ojo said had helped improve access to cardiothoracic surgery for patients facing long waiting periods.

The initiative illustrates the potential role of partnerships between private facilities and public institutions in addressing gaps in specialist care. Such collaborations can help patients access services while public hospitals work to manage demand for complex procedures.

Beyond cardiac surgery, Duchess said it had undertaken spinal, general and vascular operations as part of its broader surgical portfolio.

Ojo said the hospital manages an estimated 40,000 outpatient visits annually, reflecting demand for its services across different areas of healthcare.

The facility also recorded the birth of its 500th baby on October 19, three days before its anniversary celebration, highlighting its maternity services alongside its specialist surgical programmes.

Medical tourism and the cost of treatment

The hospital’s growth comes amid government efforts to retain more healthcare spending within Nigeria by improving the quality and availability of treatment at home.

Salako said the federal government was working to unlock investment opportunities across the healthcare value chain, including medical services, health-related businesses and manufacturing. He also urged Nigerian healthcare professionals living abroad to return and contribute their expertise to the domestic sector.

The minister acknowledged that medical tourism could not be eliminated entirely, noting that patients would continue to have the option of seeking treatment outside the country. The government’s objective, he said, was to reduce the number of Nigerians travelling abroad for healthcare.

Yemi Onabowale, founder and chief executive officer of Duchess International Hospital, said the facility had benefited from support provided through the Central Bank of Nigeria’s intervention fund.

Responding to questions about how the hospital balances specialist standards with affordability, Onabowale said the funding had helped establish the facility and created a responsibility to make its services accessible.

He also identified the return of Nigerian medical professionals based abroad as one of the hospital’s achievements, saying their expertise had contributed to its development.

However, expanding the availability of specialist procedures does not automatically make them affordable to the wider population. The cost of complex surgery, access to health insurance and the availability of qualified professionals remain important considerations in determining how many patients can benefit from local treatment.

The hospital did not disclose the cost of its open-heart procedures at the anniversary event, making it difficult to establish from the figures presented how its prices compare with treatment abroad or how many patients rely on insurance to finance care.

Patient testimonials featured during the celebration included that of Nollywood producer Kunle Afolayan, who praised the hospital’s services and expressed surprise at the affordability of care when he first visited the facility.

While such experiences offer insight into individual patients’ perceptions, broader data on treatment costs, patient outcomes and insurance coverage would provide a clearer picture of the extent to which specialist hospitals can reduce the financial barriers associated with advanced healthcare.

Government seeks stronger domestic capacity

The Federal Government has also been pursuing broader measures to improve access to healthcare, including strengthening primary healthcare services, expanding insurance coverage and encouraging investment in medical infrastructure.

Salako said the administration had established additional federal health institutions over the preceding three years and was working to attract skilled professionals back to Nigeria.

These efforts are intended to address some of the structural factors that influence decisions to seek treatment abroad, including gaps in specialist services and the availability of medical personnel.

Nevertheless, reducing outbound medical tourism will require more than the establishment of advanced facilities. Patients must also be able to afford treatment, access services outside major urban centres and have confidence in the consistency of care available locally.

Onabowale said Duchess hoped to reach more Nigerians beyond Lagos, although he did not announce specific expansion locations or a timeline.

The hospital’s ambition to extend its reach comes against the backdrop of disparities in access to specialist healthcare across the country, where advanced services are not uniformly available.

Representing the First Lady of Lagos State, Claudiana Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, Folakemi Irewole Ojo, medical director of Ebute Metta General Hospital, commended Duchess for investing in medical facilities and skilled personnel.

In remarks delivered on behalf of the First Lady, Ojo highlighted the importance of public-private partnerships in expanding healthcare capacity and improving service delivery. She also urged the hospital to maintain professional standards, prioritise patient safety and ensure that patients are treated with dignity and respect.

Five years of specialist services

Since opening in October 2021, Duchess International Hospital sought to establish itself as a provider of specialist and advanced medical services in Nigeria.

The hospital said it received the Nigerian Healthcare Excellence Award in the Private Tertiary Healthcare Facility category in 2024 and 2025. It has also participated in community medical outreach programmes and partnerships with public tertiary hospitals.

Its management said it would continue investing in clinical services, technology and institutional partnerships as it seeks to widen access to specialist care.

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The 44 open-heart surgeries and 2,053 surgical procedures recorded since the hospital began operations provide a measure of its clinical activity. However, the figures alone do not establish how much overseas treatment has been displaced or the overall effect on Nigeria’s medical tourism expenditure.

For the country’s healthcare sector, the broader challenge is to translate investment in specialist facilities into accessible, affordable and reliable treatment for a larger share of the population.

As Nigeria seeks to retain more patients at home, the ability of hospitals such as Duchess to expand capacity, attract skilled professionals and deliver advanced procedures locally will remain an important part of that effort.