By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
The Federal Government has thrown its weight behind the expansion of advanced healthcare services in Nigeria, declaring that Nigerians should no longer need a passport to access world-class surgical care, as Redeemer’s Health Village launched the country’s latest robotic surgery programme in Lagos.
The launch dinner held on Saturday, 22 August, 2026, in Lagos, where the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, said the programme represents precisely the kind of private-sector investment and technological advancement needed to strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to provide specialised care locally and reverse the long-standing trend of outbound medical tourism.
Salako said robotic surgery aligns directly with the Federal Government’s health transformation agenda, particularly its focus on improving health outcomes and unlocking the healthcare value chain.
He noted that the government recognises the critical role of the private sector, which delivers more than half of healthcare services in the country, and would continue to create an enabling environment for investment in high-end medical services.
“The best in the world are now converging here, and I urge all of us to patronise when the need arises,” Salako said.
He added that with the new capacity in place, a farmer from Ondo, a teacher from Ekiti, a trader from Ogun or any Nigerian would no longer need to travel abroad to access world-class surgical intervention.
The robotic surgery programme is anchored on a partnership between Redeemer’s Health Village and RoboMed Global Inc. of the United States a Nigerian diaspora-led enterprise representing an investment of approximately four million dollars.
The Federal Government said the initiative reflects the administration’s policy direction to attract diaspora expertise and capital into the domestic health sector, including through the Diaspora Health Impact Initiative and the Diaspora Advance Health Programme Portal, which provide Nigerian health professionals abroad with a formal route to contribute to healthcare at home.
Salako said the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain and the Presidential Executive Order on the Health Sector were both designed to strengthen domestic capacity, stimulate investment and support a more resilient health system policy instruments he described as directly relevant to the kind of initiative launched by Redeemer’s Health Village.
He disclosed that the robotic surgery programme includes a structured training and certification pathway for surgeons across the country, describing it as a commendable opportunity to update the clinical skills of Nigerian surgeons in line with emerging medical technology.
The Minister commended the leadership of Redeemer’s Health Village, Dr. Ademola Dada, Professor Ekwenna and all partners involved in establishing the programme, describing the initiative as evidence of what can be achieved when investment, innovation and partnership are brought together in service of Nigeria’s healthcare system.
He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to working with the private sector, diaspora professionals and other partners to build a health system anchored on equity, affordability and the capacity to meet the healthcare needs of all Nigerians within the country.
