TETFund Champions Enhanced Training To Reduce Nigeria’s Medical Tourism

The executive secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Sonny Echono, has said that enhancing medical training and upgrading healthcare facilities in Nigeria could curb the country’s reliance on medical tourism

Echono stated this in Abuja yesterday when the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, led a delegation from the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) on a courtesy visit to the TETFund headquarters.

He explained that the federal government had directed efforts to improve the training of healthcare professionals and strengthen medical facilities in tertiary institutions.

Echono said, “Only about a week ago, I had extensive discussions with the minister of education. Mr President has been very supportive, and one of the directives he gave us was to see how we can reverse medical tourism in the country.

“We should significantly improve the facilities available, not only for the teaching of the four core medical courses: medicine, pharmacy, nursing and dentistry, but also for the provision of healthcare for our teeming population,” Echono said.

He hinted that TETFund was expanding its support beyond university medical faculties to teaching hospitals to improve clinical training and the quality of healthcare services.

“That is why we are not only focusing on our faculties of medicine; we are extending the same support to teaching hospitals as well.

When our students go for their clinical training, they will have accommodation within those hospitals. We are also providing medical equipment across the board,” he said.

Echono added that strengthening the entire healthcare workforce, not just doctors, was essential to building a system capable of meeting the country’s medical needs.

“Our conversation centered on the structure of the healthcare system. At the top of the pyramid are medical doctors, but others provide critical support services. The question is how we can significantly increase the numbers in those relevant supporting fields,” he said.

He also commended the Nigerian Air Force’s role in national development, noting that the military had made notable contributions to education and healthcare delivery, adding that the Air Force Institute of Technology had benefitted from several TETFund interventions.

Responding to a request for support in aviation medicine, Echono said he would present the proposal to the TETFund Board of Trustees as part of ongoing federal initiatives aimed at strengthening medical education and healthcare infrastructure.

Earlier, Air Marshal Aneke commended TETFund for its sustained interventions in tertiary education, particularly its support for the Air Force Institute of Technology.

“For the Nigerian Air Force, TETFund has remained a long-standing strategic partner. Over the years, the fund’s interventions in the Air Force Institute of Technology have been truly remarkable and impactful.

“Indeed, the support received from TETFund has significantly enhanced the institute’s ability to deliver on its mandate as the Nigerian Air Force’s premier technical training institution and to contribute meaningfully to national development,” Aneke said.