Physicians as medical tourism facilitators in Nigeria: ethical issues of the practice

Globalization through the internet provides an opportunity to market services, including health care, across the world. Marketing health care services over the internet and social media is an increasing practice carried out by medical tourism facilitators (MTFs) so as to reach a wider audience (1). Traveling from one country to another to seek health care services has been termed medical tourism. In addition to marketing health care services, MTFs mediate between medical tourists and potential caregivers at medical tourist destinations (2). The internet remains the medium by which potential medical tourists learn about the services offered at possible medical tourist destinations several miles away. Occasionally, advertisements by MTFs contravene the laws of their target countries. An earlier paper from Nigeria identified that the code of medical ethics of the country did not allow in-country medical practitioners to advertise the services rendered at their practices (3). However, this code of ethics was regularly violated by MTFs marketing health care services over the internet and social media.