Caring Habitat investment in healthcare infrastructure to reduce medical tourism

…Commission first post-hospital care facility

Caring Habitat Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Centre has entered Nigeria with a strategic move to bridge the gap in healthcare infrastructure and reduce medical tourism among Nigerians.

The organisation will through its first post-hospital care facility in Nigeria offer clients a bridge between an acute centre (hospital) and a home by supporting patients who are too sick to go home but too well to remain in the hospital.

The facility would offer services like physical rehabilitation for stroke, catastrophic illness, post-operative recovery, frailty, debility, and arthritis.

Speaking at the commissioning of the facility in Lagos, Olaolu Odemuyiwa, chief medical director of Caring Habitat, said the mission is to transition individuals from dependent to independent living in the shortest possible time.

Odemuyiwa said the facility will help free hospital beds to admit more patients in critical health conditions while Caring Habitat takes over to ensure the patient returns to full recovery and independent life.

Odemuyiwa who returned to Nigeria to set up Caring Habitat after 30 years of practice in the United States, said the facility can also manage chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, chronic pain, and dementia, among other services.

Also speaking, Tokunbo Talabi, secretary to the Ogun State Government and special guest of honour, said Caring Habitat came at a time when Nigerians are yearning for better health care services.

According to him, the partnership between the government and the private sector in health will ensure that Nigeria has a very healthy and productive population able to drive the economy to prosperity.

Abike Dabiri-Erewa, director-general of Nigeria Diaspora Commission, urged Nigerians in the Diaspora to emulate the good gesture of the Chief Medical Director of Caring Habitat and return home to help build Nigeria not only in the health sector but all other sectors that can help the country achieve inclusive growth and economic prosperity.

On her part, Kemi Ogunyemi, special adviser to Lagos State Governor on Health, said Lagos State is collaborating with the private sector healthcare facilities to reduce the burden of patient care on government hospitals which she said can cater for only 30 percent of patients in the state.

“The rest 60 percent patronise private hospitals, while 10 percent have other means of taking care of their health,” Ogunyemi said.

The 40-room purpose-built state-of-the-art Nursing and Rehabilitation Centre facility is located in Metro Homes Estate, Abraham Adesanya, Lagos.