The Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, says his administration is geared at making the state a haven for medical tourism in the country.
He told visiting President of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Prof. Mike Ogirima, in Government House, Port Harcourt, last Monday, that already plans and programmes of the administration have been set in motion to achieve that.
Part of the measures to achieve this according to him include the upgrading of facilities at the Braithwaite Specialist Memorial Hospital in Port Harcourt worth $6million and which $4million had been paid.
He also revealed plans to build a new Specialist Hospital  for the treatment of ailments such as cancer, kidney, heart and liver diseases, stating that the hospital will have helipad and other state of the art facilities
He said: “The new specialist hospital that we are working on will stem the foreign trips by Nigerians for healthcare services. We want to conserve foreign exchange for the country.”
Wike further revealed that his administration has released funds for the completion of an Ultra-modern Mother and Child Hospital in Port Harcourt that will be ready in four months, following the termination of the joint ownership agreement with the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The governor also the zonal hospitals will add to improve health care at the grassroots, pointing out that the Degema Zonal Hospital will be completed in three months, following the release of N500million to the contractor, adding that other zonal hospitals will be completed.
He added that doctors and medical professionals of the hospital will undergo training on the use of the new state-of-the-art facilities.
The governor informed that the Degema Zonal Hospital will be completed in three months, following the release of N500million to the contractor, and added that other zonal hospitals will be completed.
He announced that his administration will commence the phased distribution of vehicles to doctors on the payroll of the state government in the course of the year.
He said: “For us, our major focus has shifted from infrastructure to health and education. That is why you are seeing the rapid investments in health and education.  We are committed to improved healthcare for our people”.
Earlier, the National President of Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, Prof Mike Ogirima said: “We appreciate the giant strides and commitment of Governor Wike toward the health sector in Rivers State and the health of our citizens”.
The NMA President said: “The setting up of a College of Medical Sciences at the Rivers State University, the state teaching hospital with the signing of the bill into law to actualize it, the completion of new blocks in BMSH in order to raise quality of care and the commitment to see the Mother and Child Hospital completed as a legacy project.
“The massive intervention in the renovation of otherwise moribund secondary health care institutions in the state with the simultaneous rehabilitation of several general hospitals and the approval of the implementation of the corrected Consolidated Medical Salary Scale for doctors in Rivers State service”, he said.
The NMA president endorsed the special award and recognition proposed by the National Private Doctors Association to be bestowed on the governor.