Seeking Medical Attention in Nigeria

Medical care is very limited in Nigeria, even in the larger cities of Abuja and Lagos. Hospitals and clinics throughout the country are poorly maintained and are staffed by nurses with largely inadequate training.

The state of affairs within hospitals and clinics is only one of the problems. Access to medications can be difficult to come by as well. The State Department has noted:

Diagnostic and treatment equipment is often poorly maintained, and many medicines are unavailable. Caution should be taken when purchasing medicines locally as counterfeit pharmaceuticals are a common problem and may be difficult to distinguish from genuine medications. This is particularly true of generic medicines purchased at local pharmacies or in street markets. Read more…

Knowing you will encounter limited access to quality care and short supply of legitimate drugs should prompt one to plan for the worst by arriving in Nigeria with all necessary medical prescriptions, a medical kit, and an emergency plan for what to do should something go wrong.