Arranging surgery for a parent in Nigeria from the UK, US or Canada

Step by step

1. 1

   Gather the history

   Collect your parent's medicine list, recent results and any scans, and send clear photos when you book.

2. 2

   Book the assessment

   Book online and ask whether you can join the consultation by phone.

3. 3

   Review the written quote

   Read the all-in quote together. Ask about extra nights, blood, and medicines to take home.

4. 4

   Pay online

   Pay by card before the day. Nobody carries cash to the hospital.

5. 5

   Name the person on the ground

   Give the coordinator the escort's name and number and agree how you will be updated.

6. 6

   Plan the first weeks at home

   Arrange help, follow-up and physiotherapy if needed, before the operation, not after.

Start with an assessment, not a date

A surgeon needs to see your parent before an operation can be planned or priced properly. Older parents often have high blood pressure, diabetes, heart or kidney problems that change the plan. Book the assessment first. Send any old results, scans and the list of medicines they take, ideally as clear photos, so nothing is missed.

Ask whether you can join the consultation by phone. Many families find it easier to hear the plan directly than second-hand, and it lets you ask your own questions.

Paying from abroad without sending cash

The common pattern in Nigeria is that money is sent to a relative, who carries cash to the hospital and pays as the bills come. That is how deposits go missing and how families lose track of what was paid for. On Mezo you pay online before the day and nothing is paid at the counter. You see the price before you commit: a published "from" price, then a written all-in quote once the surgeon has assessed your parent.

Read the quote with your parent. Check what it includes, what it does not, and what happens if they need an extra night or blood. Our guide on what an all-in surgical price should include lists the questions.

Consent: your parent decides

An adult who understands the operation gives their own consent, even if you are paying. Make sure your parent has heard the reasons, the risks and the alternatives in a language they are comfortable with, and has had time to ask questions. If your parent has dementia or is too unwell to decide, tell the team early so they can plan who is involved and how.

Who needs to be there in person

Choose one person in Nigeria to be the main contact on the day: a sibling, a cousin, a trusted family friend. They take your parent to the hospital, wait during the operation, receive the discharge instructions and the medicines, and take them home. Give the coordinator their name and number, and yours, and agree who is called first.

• Someone to collect them and stay with them for at least the first 24 hours
• Help at home for the first week or two after bigger operations: bathing, meals, stairs
• A plan for follow-up visits and dressing changes
• A plan for physiotherapy after joint surgery, at home if travel is hard

Staying updated across time zones

Agree in advance how you will be updated: who calls you, roughly when, and by what route. Ask the coordinator to confirm when your parent has gone into theatre and when they are back on the ward. Write your questions down before each call. If you plan to travel home for the operation, aim to be there for the first week afterwards, which is often when help is most needed.

Common questions