ENT, Head and Neck Surgery
Tonsillectomy in Nigeria
The tonsils are removed, usually in a child who either keeps getting infections or who stops breathing properly in their sleep. It is a day case. The recovery is longer and more uncomfortable than most families expect, which is why we say so first.
Also called: Tonsil removal, Tonsils out, Adenotonsillectomy
Medically reviewed by Dr Debo Odulana, Founder and Chief Executive, Mezo. Last reviewed 3 October 2026. This page is general information, not a diagnosis. Care is decided with you after an examination.
Published price
₦250,000
Fixed all-in case rate, tonsillectomy
Day case. Home the same afternoon.
What the price covers
- Surgeon and assistant fees
- Anaesthetist and theatre time
- Standard consumables for the operation
- Your bed for the expected stay
- Routine medication while you are admitted
- The post-operative review at six weeks
What it does not cover
- The first consultation and the tests that confirm you need the operation
- Treating conditions found during work-up, such as uncontrolled diabetes or an untreated infection
- Take-home medication after discharge
- Care for complications needing intensive care or a return to theatre
Related prices
Adenotonsillectomy, tonsils and adenoids together
₦330,000
Adenoidectomy alone
₦200,000
What would change this price
- An overnight stay, which is usual for children under three or anyone with significant sleep apnoea
- A sleep study, where obstructed breathing needs confirming before surgery
- Readmission for bleeding, which happens in a small number of cases
If an HMO is paying, the case needs prior authorisation before admission. Bring your HMO number to the first consultation and the desk will start it. If the plan declines, you are told the cash price before anything is booked.
Who this is for
- Repeated proven tonsillitis, conventionally seven episodes in a year, five a year for two years, or three a year for three years
- Snoring with pauses in breathing during sleep
- A quinsy, an abscess beside the tonsil
- One tonsil persistently larger than the other, which needs examining
When it is not the right answer
- A sore throat every now and then, which almost never warrants surgery
- A child whose infections are already becoming less frequent with age
- Anyone currently in the middle of an acute infection, where surgery waits
The pathway, step by step
- 1
Consultation and examination₦35,000
Throat and nose examined, with a scope where the adenoids need seeing. The infection history is counted properly rather than estimated.
- 2
A sleep history, taken seriously
Snoring with pauses is a different indication from infection, and it changes whether an overnight stay is needed.
- 3
The operation
About thirty minutes under general anaesthetic.
- 4
Home the same afternoon
Most children are discharged after a few hours of observation, with painkillers and a written plan for the ten days that follow.
- 5
Review at six weeks₦25,000
Healing checked and the infection history reviewed.
Recovery, realistically
Days 1 to 3
Sore throat, ear pain, bad breath. Eating is uncomfortable. Painkillers on a clock, not when it hurts.
Days 4 to 7
This is usually the worst stretch, not the first day. Families who know that in advance cope with it far better.
Day 7 to 14
Steady improvement. White patches in the throat are healing, not infection.
After two weeks
Back to school or work and eating normally.
Risks you should be told about
- Bleeding, most commonly between days five and ten, which needs immediate assessment
- Dehydration from not drinking enough because swallowing hurts
- Infection of the healing surfaces
- The usual risks of a general anaesthetic
Every operation carries risk. A surgeon who lists none is not being straight with you. Yours will go through these with you before you consent.
Questions people ask
Does my child really need this?
Often not. The usual thresholds are repeated proven infections over a year or more, or breathing obstruction during sleep. A surgeon who counts your child's actual episodes and then sends you away is following the evidence, not refusing to help.
Why is day five worse than day one?
The healing surfaces are at their most raw as the initial coating separates. This is normal, expected, and the reason we give you a fourteen day pain plan rather than a three day one.
What do I do if there is bleeding?
Any bleeding after tonsillectomy needs assessing the same day. You are sent home with a number to call and told exactly where to go.
Will removing the tonsils weaken immunity?
No. The rest of the immune system more than compensates, and children who needed the operation generally get fewer infections afterwards, not more.
Prices shown are Mezo cash prices in naira and were last checked on 3 October 2026. They are what you would be quoted for the standard case described here. Your final quote follows an examination, because the right operation for you may not be this one.