– Upsurge of Nigerians for Medicare in India Worries Nigerian Mission
The Nigerian High Commissioner in India, Mr Oyebola Kuku, has expressed concern over the increasing number of Nigerians in jails in India.
Kuku told visiting members of the House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora, led by Rep Abike Dabiri-Erewa, in New Delhi on Tuesday that more than 500 known Nigerians were in various jails across India.
He said the inmates included convicts and others awaiting trial.
The high commissioner said the Nigerians were being held for offences, such as drug trafficking, fraud, Internet scam, identity fraud, cyber-crimes, job scams and forgery of travel documents, such as passports and visas.
“Among the greatest challenges of the mission is Nigerians, who are lured into drug business by Indian drug barons. They are jailed when caught while the Indian drug barons are left untouched.’’
He said most Nigerians were stranded in India because of strict Indian laws, which prevent unskilled workers to establish small businesses, like barbing saloons or open a restaurant except through an Indian.
“By Indian law, those who overstay their visas, pay penalties ranging from 10,000 Rupees to as much as 50,000 rupees. Nigerians are made to raise these penalties, hence they languish in detention camps or lie low.’’
Kuku said there were, at least, 10,000 Nigerians in India but only 3,500 were registered with Nigerian High Commission and they were scattered in places, such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Jaipur.
He said most Nigerians resident in India lacked special skills that could enable them to compete with India’s immense skilled manpower.
The high commissioner advised that a formula should be worked out in collaboration with the High Commission of India to restrict entry visa to India to only credible Nigerians.
He also appealed to the legislators to help draw government’s attention to the issue of funding missions with chronic consular problems to enable them to discharge their duties effectively.
Responding, Dabiri-Erewa said it was regrettable that some Nigerians soiled the names of the country through their bad attitude and called for a change of attitude.
While commending the mission for attending to myriads of problems confronting Nigerians living in India, the legislator promised to assist in the area of appropriation.
Also, a member of the committee, Rep Bimbo Daramola, said there should be aggressive education for those travelling abroad to be good ambassadors of Nigeria.
Daramola said there should be check and balances in the issuance of visas by the Indian mission in Nigeria as well as the application of the rule of reciprocity to Indians doing business in Nigeria.
The Nigeria High Commission in India also expressed concern over the upsurge of Nigerians trooping to India for medical care services at the detriment of Nigeria’s health care system.
Nigeria’s High Commissioner in India, Mr Oyebola Kuku, made the statement when he received the Rep Abike Dabiri-Erewa-led House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora, who visited him in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Kuku said in the past two years, the Nigerian Mission had witnessed an upsurge in the number of Nigerians coming to India in search of medical care with the hope that it was very cheap.
He said out of 25,000 Nigerians, who got visa to visit India in 2011, 20,000 came for medical care, with each spending nothing less than 40,000 dollars on their trips.
The high commissioner said that Nigerians on such trips spent a lot on transportation, hotel accommodation, feeding and hospital bills, while some patients ended up dying in the process.
“The mission’s recent experience shows that some leading hospitals have realised that Nigerians coming to India have increased and have, therefore, become exploitative in their approach to Medicare delivery,’’ Kuku said.
He said that the introduction of middlemen as health facilitators in both India and Nigeria had compounded the problems of Nigerians.
“The mission is aware that for every bill paid by Nigerian patients, 20 per cent commission has already been worked out to be paid to middlemen by the accepting hospitals.
“This should be raised at the highest level as an issue of concern. In almost all the cases, deposits are paid in dollars and not rupee, which is the national currency.’’
The high commissioner said some of the cases brought from Nigeria to India were unnecessary as they ought to have been handled in Nigeria while some came so late with their cases beyond remedy.
Kuku advised the Nigerian government to establish a standard hospital that could take care of the medical needs of Nigerians at home and so reduce capital flight from Nigeria.
He also advised Nigerians coming to India for medical treatment to create contact with the mission and announce their presence before embarking on medical procedures.
Responding, Dabiri-Erewa said it was a pathetic situation in spite of the fact that Nigeria had some of the best medical personnel in the world as well as the means to establish good hospitals in Nigeria.
“It was indeed pathetic that Nigerians coming here for cheap medical care ended up in jail, mortuary or being swindled by the so-called health facilitators. It is a shame and we must do something urgent about it.
The legislator said the time had come for Nigeria to encourage its medical Diaspora to come home and establish hospitals like their Indian counterpart.
Contributing, Rep Bimbo Daramola, a member of the committee, expressed regret that the upsurge was caused by the deficiency in Nigeria’s education and health care systems.
He advised the mission to assist Nigerians get a list of credible hospitals in India and create awareness among Nigerians to frustrate the efforts of middlemen and exploitative hospitals in India.