₦airaland Forum

CommonSense1967:
People are going to Nigeria for medical services.
A friend just flew to Nigeria for dental services from the US.
He paid less than 100k for the same service that they were asking for 2k dollars.

If you go to Emergency dept in the US, that's when you will understand the situation.
Unless you are bleeding or dying from heart attack, you will be at the wailing area from night till morning.
Many times, people just get upset and leave. I have done that before.

You don’t say!

LordIsaac:
No. US.

Ooh. I thought life is easier in the US.

Tunaji:
Albania, an European country is abroad too, so also Bulgaria, said to be one the poorest in EU.

Togo is abroad too. So is Benin Republic. And some Nigerians there became very wealthy

aariwa:
Spending more than $2k to save $2k makes common sense to you? Which ER are you talking about . I have never been more than 4 hours before I see the doctor at ER maybe you are living at those border tents close to Mexico hahahaha

Some of you are not smart at all. You think he bought a ticket just for that purpose?
He bought a ticket for other purpose, but the tooth extraction is just a side thing.
I live in the Atlanta, and I have lived here before most you even heard of the city.

JmyNigaa:
And the air fare To and fro didn’t exceed the 2k dollars?

So you think he will go to Nigeria for just that alone?

Euromillion200:
So why are leaders always run to UK for a simple headache? Bro stop talking nonsense abeg.

..abi..do not mind him..if that UK is not good for him..let him come back to Nigeria

casualobserver:
what many of you dont realise is many of them are trapped there. many sold everything they had here to japa and while most want to come back, they cant. they have no savings or assets to sell to finance the return home. plus there is the shame of coming back empty.

imagine selling your house, car etc, sometimes the cost of your relocating cost you tens of thousands of pounds.....you said Nigeria was hard but somehow you managed to find that money in Nigeria. You get to London and you find out its not what was sold to you but the worst thing is you are living from hand to mouth and you dont have the means to raise the funds to return home.

thats why they dont come back despite the misery.

you probably need a salary of about £70k to be comfortable and able to save £10k a year with discipline. The typical jobs available to 95% of Nigerian japas pay roughly 1/3rd of that. They are minimum wage jobs that leave you with nothing at the end of the month. The reason those jobs are available is because a citizen on welfare can earn the same by not working and without the stress associated with such jobs. A citizen would rather stay at home than work for that money but you hear 'big" numbers like £25k p.a and you think the citizens are fools for rejecting those jobs? It's not about how much you earn but how much is left. At £25kp.a, after rent, council tax,gas, electricity, travel card, food, etc you would have done well if you are not owing someone talk less having anything left.

You tell no lie. After all, English-born Julie and Jimmy understand that there are times when they are better off sitting their ar#ses on benefits than slaving away on some public/private sector plantation.

Unsurprisingly, though, many Nairalanders would remain tone-deaf to this reality until they get to experience it themselves first-hand.

The CSJ calculated that an individual receiving PIP and Universal Credit with housing and health elements could get £25,200 a year.

That is equivalent to a pre-tax salary of £30,100, higher than the pay of 6.2million workers.

The CSJ pointed to recent job adverts including a prison officer role in Leicester on a salary of £28,187, a store cleaner in Birmingham paid £26,312, and a nursing assistant in Manchester earning £24,465.

The combined benefit package is worth £3,400 more than the post-tax wages of a worker doing 40 hours a week on the National Living Wage.

Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15517447/Why-work-six-million-Brits-earning-people-benefits-think-tank-warns.html

Denko2721987:
I remember my dad being a regular business visitor to the UK in the late 90s and early 20s, things werent like this back then but now, the UK seems to a shadow of it self and though i may be wrong, but i think it is largely attributed to over multiculturalism and uncontrolled migration which seems to have turned it into somewhat of an advanced third world country

True. The UK wasn’t like this.

casualobserver:
what many of you dont realise is many of them are trapped there. many sold everything they had here to japa and while most want to come back, they cant. they have no savings or assets to sell to finance the return home. plus there is the shame of coming back empty.

imagine selling your house, car etc, sometimes the cost of your relocating cost you tens of thousands of pounds.....you said Nigeria was hard but somehow you managed to find that money in Nigeria. You get to London and you find out its not what was sold to you but the worst thing is you are living from hand to mouth and you dont have the means to raise the funds to return home.

thats why they dont come back despite the misery.

you probably need a salary of about £70k to be comfortable and able to save £10k a year with discipline. The typical jobs available to 95% of Nigerian japas pay roughly 1/3rd of that. They are minimum wage jobs that leave you with nothing at the end of the month. The reason those jobs are available is because a citizen on welfare can earn the same by not working and without the stress associated with such jobs. A citizen would rather stay at home than work for that money but you hear 'big" numbers like £25k p.an and you think the citizens are fools for rejecting those jobs? It's not about how much you earn but how much is left. At £25kp.a, after rent, council tax,gas, electricity, travel card, food, etc you would have done well if you are not owing someone talk less having anything left.

Damn. So the UK isn’t advisable to japa to currently ? Cos one guy created a thread about going to the UK or staying back in Nigeria. Most of the commenters advised him to go to other EU countries instead Lol

Euromillion200:
So why are leaders always run to UK for a simple headache? Bro stop talking nonsense abeg.

Lol. They have access to world class specialists. It costs them hundreds of thousands of pounds, if not millions of pounds sef. They don’t visit the public hospitals the OP is complaining about.

Most people don't know how bad it is, in the so called developed countries. I spent 10 hours in 2021 waiting in the ER with severe pains in Canada. Immigrants now travel home for surgery because they'll give you 6 months to 15 months wait time for a surgery. Only life-threatening surgeries are prioritized.

Here's a dude that died in Edmonton 2 months ago after waiting 8 hours in emergency with chest pain.

nedekid:
I just visited a friend who suffered stroke 2 says before he was meant to visit naija to tend to his numerous businesss, let's just say if he had gotten on that flight to naija and the stroke hit him no way he will be alive today. 6 months in the hospital before comming home, having care givers, medical and physiotherapy treatment at home.
UK might have its issues ohh but no way you can compare naija where you cannot determine if the drugs the drugs given to you in the hospitals are genuine in the first place.

Ask questions without insult if you want to learn.

All those politicians use private hospitals which are damn expensive for a common American or British to patronize.

Their bills are armed. You can get instant medicare care if you want to, the problem is, can you pay.

HacheNoire:
Ask questions without insult if you want to learn.

All those politicians use private hospitals which are damn expensive for a common American or British to patronize.

Their bills are armed. You can get instant medicare care if you want to, the problem is, can you pay.

??
Where is the insult in what I wrote, and what makes you think you have superior knowledge or life experience for me to learn from?

nedekid:
??
Where is the insult in what I wrote, and what makes you think you have superior knowledge or life experience for me to learn from?

My bad, responded to the wrong message.

The healthcare system in the UK may not be perfect and has its challenges, but it still has some important advantages. Misdiagnosis is relatively rare, and the overall environment is well regulated and structured, which helps reduce the likelihood of serious illness that could lead to emergencies. Doctors are also cautious about prescribing medications and do not rush to give drugs unnecessarily, unlike what often happens in Nigeria. Self-diagnosis is uncommon because it is difficult to buy strong medications over the counter without a prescription. Overall, there seems to be a stronger emphasis on safety, regulation, and the value placed on human life compared to Nigeria.

lilyheaven:
In Nigeria, we treat ourselves 😆
Just enter pharmacy or chemist, tell them how you’re feeling, they mix up drugs for you.
Abroad, mba nu , you must go to the hospital.
That’s why they have long queues abroad.
Op be patient your turn go reach

Them no get chemists for there ni ?

OredoPikin2:
Buhari spent almost half of his 8yrs in the UK seeking medicare
Tinubu is equally doing the same in France and beating Buhari record🤣🤣
Abeg who una think say una dey deceive self these APC people?😂

And you think they go to public hospitals in the UK or France ? Come on. These guys have access to the topmost specialists which costs millions of dollars incase you don’t know

OredoPikin2:
Why is Tinubu always running to France?
Or is the naira economy also affecting him?🤣🤣
Abegiiii
U guys need to stop deceiving yourselves

Lols.yes.Its not really a deceit.The West got good technology and development,yes..but detailed response is a challenge.Any Naija person in the UK can confirm this.

completeskills:
We all know the NHS is understaffed and the influx of immigrants into the UK in the last 6 to 8 years added pressure to the already existent problems. If you want prompt attention..they have private practices which you can register with . This is not to say the NHS problems is okay..it surely is not but I will take it over the Nigeria system anyday.
By the way..What's ops exact point with this narrative?? That Nigeria is better?
No country is perfect but you have to choose your poison carefully.

Which pressure are you talking about....? Doctors, nurses and related health workers contribute largely to the number of the so called immigrants. Nigeria population is three times the population of the UK, yet you can see the situation. Yes! Nigeria is doing better by far...

Some doctors in Nigeria now check AI to recommend medications for patients. If you jam that one and you have no small experience in medicine, sorry na your name

Elzazzi:
Ooh. I thought life is easier in the US.

Relative to the UK, maybe; but they all share the same core capitalist proclivities that undermine the true essence of life.

You are right, Nigerians travel back to Nigeria to get good medical care. If not for the insecurity, Nigeria is a wonderful place.

Its not easy abroad. But everywhere has its advantage and disadvantage, one just have to make the best of it.

Elzazzi:
Them no get chemists for there ni ?

No
They have pharmaceutical shops and they sell drugs on doctors prescription, except over the counter drugs like paracetamol

Xammie001:
I sincerely understand your plight but wrong diagnosis happens everywhere, same way we have cheap hospitals here they have it there too and errors are there but they are managing it so as to protect there integrity unlike here where we feel everything na social media because we want to trend.
i wish you can have access to different boards that handle such cases and you will be shocked, but if you've not been there appreciate what we have here in Nigeria.
Anyday Anytime, to me Nigeria is the Best country in the World, we have our issues yes but my country is still the best to live in and grow, i trust with the right orientation and mentality we will get there, we all are involved.

Sign.
Publicity Secretary
A ll
P ublication
Confusing
Movement, London Chapter.

Xammie001:
I sincerely understand your plight but wrong diagnosis happens everywhere, same way we have cheap hospitals here they have it there too and errors are there but they are managing it so as to protect there integrity unlike here where we feel everything na social media because we want to trend.
i wish you can have access to different boards that handle such cases and you will be shocked, but if you've not been there appreciate what we have here in Nigeria.
Anyday Anytime, to me Nigeria is the Best country in the World, we have our issues yes but my country is still the best to live in and grow, i trust with the right orientation and mentality we will get there, we all are involved.

Sign.
Publicity Secretary
A ll
P ublication
C onfusing
Movement, London Chapter.

Xammie001:
I sincerely understand your plight but wrong diagnosis happens everywhere, same way we have cheap hospitals here they have it there too and errors are there but they are managing it so as to protect there integrity unlike here where we feel everything na social media because we want to trend.
i wish you can have access to different boards that handle such cases and you will be shocked, but if you've not been there appreciate what we have here in Nigeria.
Anyday Anytime, to me Nigeria is the Best country in the World, we have our issues yes but my country is still the best to live in and grow, i trust with the right orientation and mentality we will get there, we all are involved.

It's good to be optimistic but could you state why, to you, Nigeria is the best country in the world.

Also re. the social media point, perhaps it's the only way to air issues in the country. In UK, their parliament will discuss these things openly, so will their media for accountability. You also have a lot of data on each hospital readily available

Euromillion200:
So why are leaders always run to UK for a simple headache? Bro stop talking nonsense abeg.

Your leaders are going to very expensive private hospitals where they don't have to queue or wait for anything.

Can you afford that?

lilyheaven:
No
They have pharmaceutical shops and they sell drugs on doctors prescription, except over the counter drugs like paracetamol

Oooh I see.

uche87:
On the 30th of January, 2026, I fell ill while at work. After struggling through the rest of the day, I returned home to rest. When my condition worsened, I decided to visit the Accident and Emergency (A&E) unit at my local hospital.

I arrived at exactly 10:13 pm. Within a minute, I was booked in by the receptionist and asked to wait. Shortly after, a nurse called me, took my details, and recorded my vital signs. I was then asked to return to the waiting area to see a doctor. That moment never came.

Instead, I was called twice more by nurses to repeat the same observations, each time urged to remain patient. A notice board nearby displayed the previous day’s estimated waiting time — seven hours. My ordeal lasted until 9:30 am the following morning. I never saw a doctor. Eventually, a specialist nurse briefly attended to me, offered verbal reassurance, handed me a leaflet, and asked me to leave. The A&E waiting area became a temporary shelter. People turned chairs into makeshift beds. Others left in frustration. The environment was chaotic. Police officers intermittently brought in injured suspects in handcuffs, adding to the tension and discomfort.

As I sat there, exhausted and unwell, my thoughts drifted back to Nigeria. I remembered a day in 2016 at a government hospital in FESTAC Town, Lagos, when my condition deteriorated so badly that the crowd insisted I jump the queue. I also recalled how, at the private hospital attached to the multinational firm I worked for, I could see a doctor within five to ten minutes.
Now, in the UK, seeing a doctor sometimes feels like winning a lottery. According to The Sun, 554,018 patients in England waited 12 hours or more in A&E in 2025. Data from the Nuffield Trust shows that during peak periods, over 61,000 patients per month experienced 12+ hour waits — around 11% of all emergency admissions. At a minimum of 12 hours per patient, this amounts to over 6.6 million hours lost annually.

Unsurprisingly, many Nigerians living in the UK now travel back home for major surgeries and treatments. It is often faster, cheaper, and far less stressful.

While the quality of healthcare in the UK and Nigeria may appear worlds apart, few imagined that Nigeria would one day serve as a medical lifeline for those living abroad.

Beyond healthcare, the economic reality is equally sobering. Many Nigerians sold land, cars, and family properties to relocate. Today, they struggle under hyper-inflated rents, rising energy bills, and high living costs, barely staying afloat.
Securing a white-collar job often feels like requiring divine intervention. The system appears structured to trap certain groups within physically demanding, low-paying roles. Warehouse work destroys the body. The care sector drains emotional and physical strength. Mental health support work, though meaningful, exposes workers to extreme violence and psychological trauma.

NHS England records over 100,000 violent incidents against healthcare staff annually — an average of 285 assaults every day. In June 2025, Irene Wanjiru Mbugua, a 48-year-old care worker originally from Kenya, was tragically killed by a patient in the West Midlands. While rare, such incidents reveal the severe dangers frontline healthcare workers face daily.

Social conditions are no less concerning. 21% of people in the UK — about 14.2 million individuals — live in poverty. Without social safety nets, this figure would skyrocket. Additionally, 24 million people receive at least one form of state benefit, including pensions, disability support, and working-age benefits, highlighting the scale of economic vulnerability.

In terms of safety, police recorded 53,047 knife-related offences in England and Wales in the year ending March 2025. While the UK remains safer than Nigeria overall, rising violent crime remains deeply troubling.

For parents seeking better opportunities for their children, another danger lurks — hard drugs. Government data shows 16,212 children aged 17 and below were in drug and alcohol treatment between April 2024 and March 2025, a 13% increase from the previous year. This underscores the growing exposure of young people to harmful substances.

Meanwhile, in Nigeria, social life thrives. Community bonds remain strong. Laughter is louder. Life feels fuller. In contrast, the UK work culture often reduces life to an endless cycle of work, bills, exhaustion, and survival. Tragically, between 2024 and 2025, several Nigerian students and workers collapsed and died in the UK due to stress and exhaustion, including cases in South Wales and Hertfordshire.

I’ll end on a lighter note. The stress levels here are so intense that almost everyone snores like old power generators. Many refuse to believe it — until shown video evidence. This was never the case back home.

The hustle has shifted gears. And this one runs at a dangerously high speed.


https://www.facebook.com/thevillagetowncrier/posts/pfbid07zzcx9Rbfz6E1pgRdcSMga5vtcjzCYBgLYwqARrzsKTQU69pJs3jbqgkA7ZRcsnkl

Nigerian doctors kill government hospitals in Nigeria. How? Nigerian doctors in government hospitals open private clinics in the town they are serving. They use government equipments in government hospitals for tests and diagnoses, then divert the patients to their private clinics in town.
Nigeria government have not been able to put stringent measures in place to checkmate these doctors who kill government hospitals.

Tunaji:
In the one year and four months I spent during my MSc in the UK, I never saw a consultant physician or any doctor at all in a so-called NHS teaching hospital.

I however saw GP at GP Surgery on several occasions.

In the UK, the average specialist training for doctors take seven to eight years, few doctors are willing to undergo that; they'd rather do a 3-yr GP programme. I believe most of their doctors are GPs.

The uk healthcare system has a clear primary care vs secondary care set up. You cannot ordinarily walk in a hospital except via Accident &Emergency. Most referrals into hospital come via GPs. By the way, there are more consultants than GPs, you just happen to see more GPs by the system design.

With all the comments, if people want to bypass the nhs waiting time, they just have to pay for private care. Same level of care but much quicker access to healthcare (maybe even to consultants directly). It obviously costs more than healthcare in Nigeria but that's just the way it is.

As some have mentioned nhs waiting time for elective or non urgent issues can take some time. Even in A&E, cases are triaged to ensure the most urgent cases are treated quicker.

Having said all that, looking at a national scale there is no comparison between naija vs uk healthcare. A few might get access in naija as they can afford it but most can't (in contrast to uk)

Nigeria unfortunately still ranks top 5 globally for maternal mortality, under 5 mortality. Has liw life expectancy etc
Many issues that are clouded through under reporting.

OredoPikin2:
Then stop coming out to dish lies.
Abi una think say na goats dey read una posts or comments abi?
U guys should be careful pls
this is not 1966 were all your lies goes unchallenged

Which lies did I dish? Is it a lie that waiting time has been an issue with NHS services or is it a lie that UK medical services is superior to Nigeria, even though one may experience delay while accessing it? Kindly quote the post where I told a lie regarding this issue and I will issue an apology but if you are unable to do that, you owe me an apology for accusing me wrongfully.

For context, you may need to refer to my original post regarding the issue so that you can point to the "lie" therein:

Whoever the op is, I sympathize with him in advance as I expect that some people would insult him based on their limited knowledge of the subject.

Waiting time is one of the prime problems of NHS aside work overload for employees. This is understandable because health care was designed to be free in the UK, although there are some cases that require out-of-pocket expenses. This free access and limited NHS budget creates a situation where service users have to stay on the queue, sometimes for long period.

When you contrast it with the speed with which you can access medical care in Nigeria you begin to appreciate what you enjoy back home. However, the upside is that you can enjoy top-notch medical care at almost no cost at the point of access in the UK. So, I believe that it is a trade-off and one has to weigh the pro and cons based on one's peculiar situation.