Dr. Richard Okoye Says Digital Healthcare, Advanced Treatment and Local Expertise Can Keep Nigerians From Seeking Care Abroad
Founder of Save-A-Life Mission Hospital, Port Harcourt, Dr. Richard Okoye, has said Nigeria can reverse its medical tourism trend and improve its low life expectancy through sustained investment in technology, local healthcare capacity and collaboration with Nigerian medical professionals abroad.
Okoye, a medical scientist, said he chose to remain in Nigeria despite the mass migration of medical professionals, popularly known as “Japa”, and instead invested in developing what he described as a world-class, fully digitalised healthcare system.
Speaking during a press conference in Port Harcourt on Sunday, he expressed concern over the significant deterioration in Nigeria’s doctor-to-patient ratio, particularly in rural communities where access to medical care remains limited.
According to Okoye, the challenge extends beyond the number of doctors leaving the country, as the migration also represents a loss of expertise and quality within the healthcare system.
He said the situation had contributed to Nigeria’s low life expectancy, noting that maternal and child health remain major factors influencing the country’s overall health outcomes.
Okoye said his intervention began in 2014, when he conceived the idea of developing technology capable of embedding international standards of medical practice into healthcare delivery.
He disclosed that work on the technology began in the United States in 2016 and has since evolved into a digital healthcare ecosystem deployed at Save-A-Life Mission Hospital and in underserved communities.
The hospital, he said, uses real-time monitoring, electronic medical records, artificial intelligence-assisted clinical decision support and a situation room where doctors continuously monitor patients.
According to him, the hospital’s “My Home Clinic” application allows patients to book appointments, provide medical information before consultations and receive professional guidance remotely.
He said the system can also assist doctors with differential diagnoses, recommended investigations and medication choices, while preventing prescriptions that could be harmful to patients with certain medical conditions.
“This technology is not meant to replace doctors. It is meant to ensure that whatever anybody is doing is within the international standard of medical practice,” he said.
Okoye added that the technology was also being adapted for rural communities where electricity and internet connectivity remain major challenges.
He said the hospital had deployed solar-powered systems and satellite connectivity in some communities in Abia State, enabling health workers to transmit patients’ vital signs to doctors in real time.
The initiative also includes remote monitoring devices for blood pressure, blood sugar and urine tests, particularly for detecting complications among pregnant women.
He further disclosed plans to introduce an advanced ambulance system into Nigeria in October, describing it as a mobile emergency-care unit equipped with technology that would allow doctors to remotely monitor patients while they are being transported.
According to Okoye, the system would help bridge the gap between primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities through triage and real-time referrals.
Beyond technology, he said Save-A-Life was developing a system through which Nigerian doctors living abroad could remotely support patients in Nigeria while returning periodically to train and work with local medical teams.
He noted that the model was already attracting patients from other states and countries, with Nigerians in the diaspora able to monitor the treatment of relatives receiving care in Port Harcourt.
The hospital, he added, is also investing in advanced procedures and equipment, including robotic technology, to provide treatments that Nigerians previously travelled abroad to obtain.
Okoye said the ultimate goal was to reverse medical tourism by making high-quality healthcare available within Nigeria.
He noted that the economic benefits would extend beyond the healthcare sector, arguing that a healthy workforce is essential to productivity and national development.
“Your prosperity is tied to your health. The productivity of any company is directly proportional to the health of the individuals that make up that company,” he said.
He added that Save-A-Life had received interest from state governments, including the Abia State Government, in deploying aspects of its digital healthcare model across communities.
According to Okoye, the hospital currently attracts only about 30 per cent of its patients from Port Harcourt, while the majority come from other states and countries.
He expressed optimism that continued investment in technology, training and healthcare infrastructure would put Nigeria on an upward trajectory in life expectancy and reduce the number of Nigerians travelling abroad for medical treatment.
“The reversal of medical tourism is absolutely the summary of it,” he said.
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