NSIA healthcare investments treat 16,700 cancer patients, deliver 30,000 radiotherapy sessions – Oyedele

By Staff Reporter

Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, has disclosed that the MedServe LUTH Cancer Centre, sponsored by the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority NSIA, has treated more than 16,700 patients, delivering over 30,000 radiotherapy sessions and 25,000 chemotherapy treatments.
Oyedele also revealed that NSIA-backed diagnostic centres in Kano and Umuahia had provided healthcare services to more than 410,000 patients as of December 2025.
The minister made the disclosure on Monday at the commissioning of NSIA MedServe Diagnostic Centres in Bauchi and Ibadan under the NSIA Healthcare Expansion Programme.
He described healthcare as critical economic infrastructure, stressing that investment in the health of Nigerians was also an investment in human capital, productivity and the country’s long-term economic growth.
According to him, the importance of the investments goes beyond the physical facilities being commissioned, as a healthy population is better positioned to work, learn and contribute productively to the economy.
He noted that illness, on the other hand, places a significant burden on households through medical expenses, lost income and depleted savings.
Oyedele said the projects demonstrated how government could deploy public capital to attract private and development financing for critical infrastructure.
“Government budgets alone cannot meet Nigeria’s development needs. The question cannot only be how much government spends. It must also be how much private and development capital government can mobilise,” he said.
The minister commended the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the World Bank Group for supporting the programme, particularly through long-term local-currency financing.
He said the financing structure was appropriate for long-term assets whose revenues are generated in naira, adding that the model could be replicated across other priority sectors, including infrastructure, agriculture, energy and housing.
Oyedele said NSIA’s earlier investments in healthcare had demonstrated the scale of unmet demand for specialised medical services in Nigeria.
He disclosed that the MedServe LUTH Cancer Centre had treated more than 16,700 patients, delivered over 30,000 radiotherapy sessions and administered 25,000 chemotherapy treatments, while diagnostic centres in Kano and Umuahia had served more than 410,000 patients by December 2025.
He added that MedServe was developing 23 new diagnostic centres across the country in two phases, including three centres equipped with oncology units and another three with cardiac catheterisation laboratories.
According to him, the expansion would bring specialised diagnostic and treatment services closer to Nigerians, reducing the need for patients to travel long distances for medical care or seek treatment abroad.
The minister linked the investment to the Federal Government’s broader efforts to reduce medical tourism and retain more economic value within the country.
“Every procedure performed at home keeps value, jobs and expertise in our economy and eases pressure on foreign exchange,” Oyedele said.
He, however, stressed that Nigeria’s ambition should extend beyond reducing outbound medical tourism to building a competitive healthcare economy capable of serving Nigerians and attracting patients from other African countries.
He said achieving that objective would require sustained investment not only in buildings and medical equipment but also in the human resources and systems required to operate the facilities effectively.
Oyedele said Nigeria must retain and continuously develop doctors, nurses, radiographers, laboratory scientists, technicians and other specialised healthcare professionals.
He also called for increased domestic capacity in medical technology, equipment maintenance and pharmaceutical production.
The minister stressed that the success of the investments should ultimately be measured by the outcomes they deliver rather than by the number of facilities commissioned.
“The real test is whether the equipment still works in ten years, whether we retain qualified staff, and whether patients are treated with dignity, diagnosed earlier and able to afford the care they receive,” he said.
Oyedele said the investments were consistent with the broader objective of the Federal Government’s economic reforms, which he described as translating macroeconomic stability into productive investment, improved public services and better living standards.
“Macroeconomic stability is not the destination. It is the foundation. We are converting stability into investment, investment into services, and growth into better lives,” he said.
He congratulated the NSIA and MedServe teams, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Bauchi and Oyo State Governments, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, relevant healthcare institutions in Ibadan, the IFC and other partners for delivering the projects.
The Federal Government, he said, remained committed to partnerships capable of mobilising capital, strengthening critical infrastructure and translating economic reforms into measurable improvements in the lives of Nigerians.