Last month, the Duchess International Hospital (Duchess), a subsidiary of the Reddington Group commissioned its 72-bed multi-specialist healthcare facility, located on the corner of Harold Shodipo Crescent and Joel Ogunnaike Street in Ikeja GRA.
Speaking at the commissioning of the building, the Vice President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osibanjo said the multi-specialist facility will create an attractive proposition to reverse the trend in medical tourism in the country. Although this is a small addition, as other well built health facilities such as Duchess come onto the market, we should start to see more individuals opting for treatment within Nigeria.
The following points provide more information on the facility, its project team, and how this new addition may impact the healthcare sector in Nigeria.
Duchess is the 3rd largest private hospital in Lagos by Gross Floor Area, but it does not make it to the top 5 list by number of beds.
The facility has a Gross Floor Area of 7,200 sqm, making it the 3rd largest private hospital in Lagos by Gross Floor Area, after Evercare Hospital in Lekki Phase 1, and The Reddington Hospital in Victoria Island both of which have Gross Floor Areas closer to 10,000 sqm. Other hospitals of similar sizes within the State include the Military Hospital in Ikoyi, and the Barnes Cardiac Diagnostic Laboratory, which have a Gross Floor Area of c. 6,500 sqm each.
In terms of number of beds, however, the 72 bed Duchess does not make the top 5 list, as other larger facilities including Evercare, Reddington in Victoria Island, Barnes Hospital Cardiac Diagnostic Laboratories Limited, Eko Corp Hospital (Ikeja) all have a capacity of over 80 beds each.
The 72 bed facility was designed by Quattro Architects and built by BCL Construction and Civil Engineering.
The new Duchess International Hospital was designed by Quattro Architects, and the main contractor is BCL Construction and Civil Engineering. Quattro is a UK-based design firm that has a strong reputation in the healthcare sector and has been involved in the design of over 27 healthcare facilities across the globe including Cheltenham General Hospital in England.
BCL Construction and Civil Engineering is a Nigerian firm who has been involved in executing projects in Nigeria. We are currently tracking 8 of their projects on Estate Intel including Everty-One Tower in Victoria Island, and Alliance Place in Ikoyi.
It took 4 years to build, which is a similar timeline to Evercare and other recently completed facilities in the state.
Construction of the Duchess facility commenced in 2016, and the project was completed in 2020, even though aesthetic works were still ongoing for some time after. It typically takes at least 2 to 5 years to complete a healthcare project of that size in Nigeria, based on the recent project that we are tracking.
The 4-year timeline for the Duchess Ikeja project falls within this timeline and is similar to Evercare Hospital in Lekki Phase 1 that was completed in c. 3years. The facility provides external and basement parking and is also serviced with a power generator, freshwater, and sewage treatment plant.
Reddington is pressing hard on its vision of making quality and affordable healthcare accessible to every Nigerian.
So far, the Reddington Group has at least 3 healthcare facilities operating in Lagos State alone. Its first facility, which is the Reddington Hospital in Victoria Island, was completed in 2006, not long after that, the brand also delivered the Reddington facility in Lekki Phase 1.
According to the CEO, Adetokunbo Shitta-Bey, the brand’s mission is to ensure that every Nigerian has access to quality and affordable healthcare, and the addition of Duchess Ikeja to its portfolio is a testament to their commitment to achieving this mission.
Nigerians spend an average of $1.6Bn on medical tourism annually, the Reddington group is working to reverse the trend.
The perceived lack of adequate quality facilities in the country has prompted those who can afford it to seek medical care abroad. According to the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority, Nigerians could be spending as much as USD $1.6bn per annum on outbound medical tourism, which in comparison represents over 11% of the country’s entire USD $14bn health expenditure.
Redirecting the medical tourism expense back into the country should be the priority to investors, and the new addition by the Reddington group will contribute to achieving this.
What do you think this means for the healthcare sector in Nigeria?
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