The partnership will see Aster setting up centres of excellence in Nigeria, offering solutions to complex medical issues
Aster DM Healthcare, an integrated healthcare service provider in Asia, announced recently that it has entered into a partnership agreement with a university hospital in Nigeria. Aimed at addressing the need gaps in the Nigerian healthcare sector, the partnership with Afe Babalola University Ado Ekiti (ABUAD) will see the company setting up centres of excellence across specialties and also a Telemedicine unit managed by Aster DM Healthcare’s internationally certified specialists, majority of whom are from Aster’s network of 11 hospitals in India.
The announcement came against a wider backdrop of Nigeria scoring poorly among United Nations member-states, ranked 187th among a total 191 countries1. Nigeria’s average expenditure on healthcare stands at US$118 (per capita), and this when compared to countries in European Union that spend up to EUR 2797 or US$3281, is significantly less.
Furthermore, as far as the doctor-patient ratio is concerned, Nigeria currently stands at 1:2,500 4, as opposed to a minimum ratio of 1:1000 recommended by WHO . This is largely due to the migration of Nigerian doctors for whom the UK and the US are preferred destinations to seek employment.
Commenting on the partnership, Dr Azad Moopen, Founder Chairman and Managing Director, Aster DM Healthcare, said, “Our partnership will address the gaps in the healthcare sector in Nigeria which is in urgent need for quality services. As a result, patients from the country often seek quality healthcare solutions overseas, and India is a recipient of thousands of medical tourists from Nigeria each year.”
Dr Harish Pillai, CEO, Aster DM Healthcare, India said, “The operations and management agreement with ABUAD is expected to further boost the collaboration between India and Nigeria, offering access to high quality healthcare services for thousands of patients in West Africa. More importantly, our on-the-ground presence will further equip the ABUAD medical staff who in turn will now be able to provide solutions to complex medical issues relating to cardiac, neuroscience, orthopedic, renal diseases, and cancer care, among others.”
Aare Afe Babalola, Founder, ABUAD commented, “We are aware that the healthcare infrastructure of Nigeria is just not enough to cater to the growing demand, hence our aim is to improve the medical facilities which will ultimately reduce the dependency on medical tourism abroad.’’
Keeping in mind the poor doctor-patient ratio in Nigeria, Aster DM Healthcare has also set up a Telemedicine unit in ABUAD that essentially provides services such as Tele Consulting, Tele Diagnosis and Tele Management, enabling patients to seek expert advice and virtual treatment from Aster’s specialists from across the world, including in India.