Duchess International Hospital has reaffirmed its commitment to raising healthcare standards in Nigeria after being named Private Tertiary Healthcare Facility of the Year for the second consecutive year at the prestigious 11th Nigerian Healthcare Excellence Awards (NHEA). The award ceremony took place on June 27 at the Eko Hotel Convention Centre in Lagos, where leaders from across Nigeria’s health sector gathered to celebrate excellence, innovation, and impact.
In his opening remarks, Dr. Anthony Omolola, Chairman of the NHEA Advisory Board, noted that the 2025 edition received over 35,000 nominations from public and private health institutions across the country. He described the evaluation process as rigorous, involving detailed verification and field assessments by the NHEA’s independent audit and visitation teams. Receiving the award, Dr. Adetokunbo Shitta-Bey, Chief Executive Officer of Duchess International Hospital, expressed his deep appreciation to the organisers and stakeholders for recognising the hospital’s ongoing efforts to deliver accessible, world-class healthcare. “Winning this award for the second consecutive year is a significant validation of the work being done every day by our dedicated medical and non-medical teams. It reflects our mission to reverse medical tourism and to offer Nigerian patients the same high standard of care they might seek abroad—right here at home,” Dr. Shitta-Bey said.
Opened in October 2021 and located in Ikeja GRA, Lagos, Duchess International Hospital is a 100-bed, multi-specialist facility that aims to set new benchmarks in clinical quality, patient experience, and integrated service delivery. The hospital was commissioned by former Vice President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, who lauded it at the time as a model for affordable, top-tier healthcare in Nigeria.
Dr. Adedoyin Dosunmu-Ogunbi, the hospital’s Medical Director, reiterated the central role of values in the hospital’s success. “At Duchess, we pride ourselves on professionalism, hard work, and a deeply embedded culture of patient-centred care. This award reinforces our belief that these values deliver results.”
Healthcare professionals and policymakers alike have raised concerns over the billions of dollars lost annually to medical tourism. It is estimated that Nigeria loses over $1.3 billion each year as citizens travel abroad in search of better healthcare services. Dr. Shitta-Bey addressed this issue head-on during his remarks at the awards. “Nigerians deserve better. They deserve access to the highest standards of care without the need to fly to Europe, America, or India. Our answer is a resilient healthcare model that fuses advanced medical technology, global clinical expertise, and compassionate care—delivered right here in Nigeria,” he said.
Reflecting on the significance of winning the Private Tertiary Healthcare Facility of the Year award in both 2024 and 2025, Dr. Shitta-Bey described it as “a powerful endorsement of the courage, consistency, and commitment of the Duchess team.” He dedicated the award to all members of staff, patients, and stakeholders who have placed their trust in the institution over the last four years. “This honour belongs to every single member of our team and to every patient who walked through our doors and allowed us to care for them.”
The NHEA is widely regarded as the gold standard of healthcare recognition in Nigeria. Organised annually, the event recognises individuals and organisations that have made outstanding contributions to the health sector. Categories span public and private institutions, innovation, research, pharmaceutical excellence, and frontline care delivery.
