Why we built Enugu International Hospital – Gov Mbah

Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State says his administration built the 300-bed Enugu International Hospital to reduce the number of Nigerians travelling abroad for medical treatment.

Mr Mbah, who spoke to reporters on Wednesday after a pre-launch tour of the facility, said the hospital was established to retain the substantial resources spent on healthcare abroad.

“This is not a facility that is knee-jerk or that was accidentally put here. If you recall, during our campaign for this office, we made it clear that we were committed to making Enugu a medical tourism hub on the continent.

“We knew the size of that market. We also knew that we wanted to have a good chunk of that market. So, what you’re seeing here today is a plan that had even been conceived before we started our campaign,” he said.

The governor stressed that the facility was part of his administration’s deliberate plan to position Enugu as a medical tourism destination.

Governor Mbah during the tour of the facility

“And we knew also that was never going to be wished into existence; we needed to do concrete things. We needed to build a world-class facility and, most importantly, attract top-notch professionals who would come here and provide the service,” he added.

Nigerians spent $684.72 million on medical-related travel abroad in 2025, according to data from the Central Bank of Nigeria.

The expenditure, which was approximately N934.64 billion at the current official exchange rate, represents a 6.5 per cent increase from $643.15 million spent in 2024.

What the hospital will do differently

Mr Mbah said the hospital would contribute to his administration’s plan to build a $30 billion economy from $4 billion within its eight-year period.

The governor said the hospital’s facilities, combined with telemedicine, digital and electronic medical practice, would enable Nigerians to access specialised medical opinions from experts abroad without having to travel abroad.

“We can actually attract or even receive those opinions abroad, and yet the money and the manpower would still remain here,” he said.

The governor also said the cost of treatment at the facility would be significantly lower than what Nigerians currently spend seeking top-quality healthcare in countries such as India, Turkey, the United States and the United Kingdom.

He said the hospital would also create numerous employment opportunities for Nigerians, adding that several Nigerian medical professionals practising abroad had already expressed interest in returning to work at the facility.

“We have received an outpouring of interest from people who were trained here at some point and later went overseas to practise.

“They are now happy to come back home and give back the gift that was nurtured here. They want to bring it back here. So, we were excited about that in terms of job creation,” he said.

“So, we have been very intentional about making sure that our people have access to quality healthcare. We’re quite big on security and healthcare because we know that’s what investors would ask you.”

The Chief Executive Officer of the hospital, Sam Agwu, said the Enugu International Hospital would provide advanced medical care and attract specialists in cancer treatment, surgery, nuclear medicine, therapeutics, diagnostics and other specialised fields.

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Mr Agwu, a professor, said at least six core speciality centres would be operational upon commissioning of the facility.

He listed some of the centres to include a Cancer Centre offering nuclear medicine, therapeutics and diagnostics; as well as a Heart and Vascular Centre equipped for open-heart surgeries, cath-lab procedures, and cardiac rehabilitation.

Others are a Neurosciences Centre for brain, spine, and stroke care; and a Renal and Transplant Centre covering dialysis and organ transplants.

Side view of the Enugu International Hospital