‘Intensify human capacity building to curb brain drain, medical tourism’

Annually, 30,000 Nigerians are estimated to spend $1 billion dollars on medical tourism, a sum which Roger Olade, medical director, Genesis Specialist Hospital, says would have been reduced significantly if human capacity was adequately developed in the country to meet the growing health needs of over 170 million people. He spoke with CALEB OJEWALE. Excerpts:
Earlier this year, an executive director of the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) said that Cardiovascular, Orthopaedics, Renal and Cancer treatments make up 80 percent of the reasons for the trips by Nigerians outside the country on health issues, which of these do you have the capacity to effectively treat here in Nigeria?

At Genesis Specialist Hospital, we have a world standard surgical theatre with a state of the art ICU and NICU. We focus on Cardio-Pulmonary, Neurology, Surgery, Oncology and Pain Management.
We practise high quality specialist care and since we opened we have been fortunate to help a lot of patients. Our goal is to give high quality care to our patients. We have put together a very experienced and well-trained team.
What are the guarantees that people can be assured of getting comparable treatments if they stay back?
Our processes are created to provide care at international standards. Genesis Specialist Hospital is a small hospital located in GRA Ikeja, Lagos but with a concierge style of practice owned by a group of US board certified physicians. We have an active Telemedicine unit that allows our patients to be evaluated by specialists across the world. We also do not hesitate to transfer our patients out of the country or bring in specialists into the country as needed.
I came across a quote attributed to you that critical care medicine training is not existent yet in Nigeria and that we do not actually have training for it yet in Nigeria. Can you shed some light on this?
I was alluding to the fact that we do not have established fellowship training programmes in critical care medicine in Nigeria yet. But what we do have is a pool of anaesthetists with interest in critical care and some that are trained outside of the country. For that to happen there has to be the right collaboration between the government and designated teaching hospitals.

You have been providing training for Nigerians doctors, for how long has this been and what is the nature of the training?
We started Genesis Health Consulting about 5 years ago, with a goal of working with hospitals in the aspects of quality control and staff improvement. We are affiliated with several international health organizations including the American Heart Association and the American Safety and Health Institutes and that enables us to provide accredited and certified training courses. Some of our courses are Basic Life Support, Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Electrocardiography (ECG), Critical Care and Trauma Courses and several other training programs that improve the practice of medicine.

The courses we provide have had significant impact so far. The essence is to improve the quality of practice and the feedback has been very encouraging thus far.

Taking a cue from your return, how can we attract other skilled Nigerian doctors practising abroad; getting them to come back home and develop the health sector?
I believe there will be a bigger impact if the government could focus on developing the infrastructure and improving the situations of the doctors and nurses practising in Nigeria. The government could provide incentives that will offer a softer landing for those interested in coming home, and also implement public policy needed to bring healthcare in Nigeria up to par with the developed world.

We reported about collaboration between NSIA and the Federal Ministry of Health to develop world class health centres across the country, and earlier this year, NSIA had said it earmarked $140million to healthcare infrastructure, is there a feasible framework for specialist health care providers like you to tap into such opportunities?
I am open to discussing any available opportunities that would develop the healthcare industry. Any improvement that the government is planning would be very welcome

Can you give a brief insight into your profile and other major doctors you are working with?
I am on the of board certified physicians with expertise in internal medicine, emergency medicine and critical care medicine. I completed my postgraduate training at Cornell University’s Brooklyn Hospital Center, New York; my fellowship training at the Harvard Medical School, and my Public Health degree from the Harvard School of Public Health. I am a Harvard Cabot Fellow and a recipient of several American Top Physician Excellence Awards. I have been blessed with the opportunity to practise at top medical centers in the US and I am affiliated with several global medical organisations. I currently serve as the Medical Director of Genesis Specialist Hospital, and the Genesis Health Group in Houston, Texas.
Our Chief of Surgery, Dr. Ayotunde Adeyeri, is a board certified and fellowship trained advanced laparoscopic, bariatric, and GI surgeon. He completed his general surgery residency at Columbia University at Harlem Hospital Centre in New York, and went on to the University of Rochester, New York where he completed a fellowship in Minimally Invasive, Bariatric, and GI surgery. He also serves as the medical director of The Institute for Weight Loss at Raritan Bay Medical Center in New Jersey. He is certified by the American Board of Surgery (ABS), a member of the American College of Surgeons (ACS), and a Fellow of the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). He has over a decade of experience in the field of surgery.
The Chief of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine at Genesis Specialist Hospital is Dr. Gbadebo Adebayo, who is a seasoned anaesthesiologist and Interventional Pain specialist with over 20 years of experience. Dr. Adebayo is currently an attending Anaesthesiologist and Director of Anaesthesia at Abrazo West Regional and Trauma Center in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. He is also presently a consultant and Director Intervention and Cancer Pain Management, Cancer Treatment Center of America, Western Regional Medical Center, Phoenix, Arizona United States. Dr. Adebayo’s professional educational background spans various spheres of the medical field between the United States and Nigeria.
We also have Dr. Muyiwa Onabanjo, a physician with experience in Public Health and Internal Medicine. He is a graduate of the University College Hospital, Ibadan. A seasoned medical practitioner with over 20 years in clinical practice, he has a robust passion for continuous medical education and community enlightenment. He serves as our Chief Operating Officer.