There are strong indications that with the adoption of 5G internet network Nigeria can save no less than N1.45 trillion ($2.56 billion) lost to medical tourism annually, LEADERSHIP Weekend has learnt.

This is as experts have allayed the initial fears of many Nigerians that the use of the 5G network may increase the risk of cancer and other negative effects.

Market observers have said the adoption of 5G network is expected to improve the nation’s healthcare services and telehealth, thereby, retaining a large chunk of the annual medical expenses Nigerians incur abroad in the economy.

With improved healthcare services, there are indications that more Nigerians will begin to patronise the nation’s healthcare institutions, hence limiting capital flight and increasing revenue generation through increased revenue contribution of the health sector to the nation’s GDP.

According to a review of the Central Bank’s balance of payment data, Nigerians have spent the sum of $11.01 billion on health-related services abroad over the past 10 years, between 2011 and the first quarter of 2021, recording the highest in 2019 with $2.56 billion (N1.45trn) foreign health expenses, and the least in 2016 at $17million.

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Similarly, the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) stated that the huge amount spent on medical tourism was spent on four key specialties: oncology, orthopaedics, nephrology and cardiology,

Data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) also revealed that the composite consumer price index for health surged by 15.8 per cent year-on-year in May 2021, having reached a ten-year high in April 2021 at 15.9 per cent. Urban health inflation also skyrocketed to 16.7 per cent while rural health inflation tallied behind at 15.1 per cent for May 2021.

Experts, who spoke to LEADERSHIP, said the 5G network and its features can transform and improve the healthcare system in Nigeria in many ways, including telehealth which has the potential to meet patient and provider needs accurately, efficiently, conveniently and is cost-effective.

According to a PwC report, the potential of 5G springs from the fact that its technical attributes represent a quantum leap forward from its predecessor, 4G.

5G, the report said,  is capable of achieving speeds approximately 100 times faster than 4G, while also handling vastly more connections. These advantages are strengthened by ultra-low latency, the time it takes for the network to process a request.

Product manager, MeCure Smart, Ajinkya Shekar, said the COVID-19 pandemic has forced consumers to show an overwhelming interest in placing the health and safety of their families first and are adopting innovative ways to interact in these unprecedented times.

Shekar said access to quality and safe healthcare is quite simply the most important need, not just for Nigerians but citizens of every country in the world, adding that telemedicine is now an effective means to treat patients during this COVID-19 pandemic.

Shekar said, “We hope that through this initiative (deployment of 5G), anyone in Nigeria will immediately have access to quality and affordable healthcare that is also COVID safe.

“The demand for telemedicine has picked up exponentially ever since the pandemic took over. The change in behaviour has been nothing short of dramatic. Now, patients prefer remote consultations and visit clinics only if absolutely necessary for tests. This allows both the doctors and patients a very safe and effective environment to manage healthcare.

“When we launched MeCure Smart back in April 2019, we were simply conducting an experiment: Is the Nigerian market ready for healthcare services through a digital platform. By February 2020 and we were not able to handle the sheer volume of calls anymore. The scale and demand for telemedicine services is overwhelming today. Hence, we decided to tie up with HelloDoc,” he added.

Speaking with LEADERSHIP Weekend, the president, Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON), Chinenye Mba-Uzuokwu said the benefits of 5G can help boost the health sector when it is embraced by health practitioners.

According to Mba-Uzuokwu, 4G has been deployed in Nigeria for years but it didn’t improve the health sector because it was not embraced.

“5G, no doubt, is great, but must be adopted by all Nigerians for us to see its impacts in the economy. To make that happen, government needs to formulate an adoption strategy for all sectors of the economy,” he said.

By next year, ISPON president said, financial institutions will start deploying 5G in their systems, even as he recommended that the government should think on how it will deploy the network in public hospitals and schools, to improve the lives and livelihoods of Nigerians, especially those at the grassroots level.

“We are currently using 4G, but has it been able to improve the lives of Nigerians? The answer is no! 4G has not improved the health care system, education sector and the welfare of Nigerians the way it should.

“For instance, can someone at Badagry, Lagos, speak to his doctor at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) without traveling miles? Again, the answer is no. But if 5G is deployed at our public hospitals, like Primary Healthcare Centres, the poor can, at the comfort of their homes, access healthcare services. That is what we call telehealth,” he added.

To fund this project, Mba-Uzuokwu advised the government to use part of the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) meant to provide communication services to underserved areas.

“10 per cent of profits of all telecommunication companies goes into the USPF.  Part of this fund should be invested in projects that will ensure that people who are living in areas with poor connectivity benefit from the 5G.

“Government can deploy part of the funds in setting up connectivity at public hospitals and schools, so that the poor masses can benefit. That is the only way the vulnerable can benefit from 5G,” he added.

In the same vein, the former president, Nigeria Internet Registration Authority, Revd. Sunday Folayan, told LEADERSHIP Weekend that with the deployment of 5G, healthcare practitioners can leverage on the network to expand telehealth in the country to improve patients’ care.

Folayan said the COVID-19 pandemic made Nigerians see the importance of 4G, adding that “we are able to hold meetings via zoom and work remotely, etc., because of 4G. We didn’t feel the negative impact of the pandemic on businesses. The 5G network has more potential than 4G. We need to think of how we can leverage on it to improve the economy of Nigeria, the healthcare sector inclusive.”

Meanwhile, despite the numerous benefits of 5G, some Nigerians have raised concern about the health implications of the network.

A chemicals seller at Ojota market, Lagos, Joseph Ekenne, was one of the many Nigerians who is scared about 5G.

He told LEADERSHIP Weekend that he was skeptical about the 5G technology initially due to the rumour surrounding the technology.

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“People say it can give cancer simply by making calls with a 5G phone,” Ekenne added.

To allay the fears of most Nigerians, the minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami, said the decision to deploy the 5G network followed an outcome of thorough investigation, research, and trial, absolving it of posing a security or health threat.

“We set up a technical team that accommodated security, health and environmental institutions and the public sector so that we can be on the same page. The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) have so far confirmed that the deployment of 5G does not cause any adverse health effects,” Pantami said.

The president, Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Engr. Ike Nnamani, said it had been proven that there are no negative health implications from 5G.

On his part, co-founder, Domineum Blockchain Solutions Limited, Mohammed Ibrahim Jega, said while rumours will always be there, Nigerians should do research on 5G technology to disabuse their minds and only then can they understand the benefits of 5G.

“Yes, technology has pros and cons, but in the case of the 5G, it has no health implications,” Jega added.

Jega, also the founder, Startup Arewa, said technology is evolving and Nigeria cannot afford to be left behind.

“We must tap into what is going on globally. We must utilise this opportunity. Nigeria is one of the highest users of technology in Africa. A lot of us are using 5G phones, and we need to have a 5G network,” he added.

The chief executive officer of MTN Nigeria, Karl Toriola said “We’ve carried out 5G trials with the authorities and we are very much satisfied with the results of the trial.”