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SUMMARY:Morphometric studies were carried out on the brains of twenty West African Dwarf (WAD) sheep using frozen unfixed specimen. The mean brain weight was 69.14g, while the mean brain length and depth were 7.48cm and 4.17cm, respectively. The mean length of the cerebrum and cerebellum were 5.08cm and 2.27cm, respectively.The relative brain weight was 0.08% while the relative weight of the head was 0.8%. There was a significant difference (p < 0.05) in the weight of head, weight of brain, brain length and depth and in the relative brain weight of animals weighing 10kg and above, compared with those below this weight mark. The values of the first four parameters were higher while the fifth was lower. Animals aged one year and above, had significantly heavier body weights and longer cerebrum (p < 0.05), than those below this age mark, the latter however had significantly lower relative brain weight and also weight of brain to weight of head.The results obtained in this study will be useful in Comparative Neuroanatomy and as baseline research data in neuropathology, pharmacology, anaesthesiology and neurophysiology.

Purpose The past decade has witnessed a tremendous and progressive growth in the number of Nigerians who engage in medical tourism from Nigeria to India. Various commentators have advanced diverse reasons for this trend. However, there is a dearth of research that has sought to provide empirical insights. This paper aims to investigate the decision-making process of Nigerian medical tourists and why they prefer medical tourism to India to medical care locally. Design/methodology/approach Eight Nigerian medical tourists are interviewed on a one-on-one basis with open-ended questions using purposive criterion sampling technique from an interpretivist mind-set. Findings The paper identifies two major motivators, namely, inadequate medical infrastructure and poor medical, and customer service from health workers in Nigeria, which spurred medical tourism from Nigeria to India. Further, it finds that first timers premise their decisions on advice from reference groups, while previous personal experiences guide decisions on subsequent medical travels. Findings are explained using the template provided by the theory of planned behaviour. Originality/value This exploratory nature of this research provides a useful basis to elucidate the course of decision-making of Nigerian patients so that appropriate marketing communication channels can be applied. It improves the process of recruiting and engaging Nigerian patients and nurturing wholesome relationships between Nigerian patients and hospitals.

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Purpose The past decade has witnessed a tremendous and progressive growth in the number of Nigerians who engage in medical tourism from Nigeria to India. Various commentators have advanced diverse reasons for this trend. However, there is a dearth of research that has sought to provide empirical insights. This paper aims to investigate the decision-making process of Nigerian medical tourists and why they prefer medical tourism to India to medical care locally. Design/methodology/approach Eight Nigerian medical tourists are interviewed on a one-on-one basis with open-ended questions using purposive criterion sampling technique from an interpretivist mind-set. Findings The paper identifies two major motivators, namely, inadequate medical infrastructure and poor medical, and customer service from health workers in Nigeria, which spurred medical tourism from Nigeria to India. Further, it finds that first timers premise their decisions on advice from reference groups, while previous personal experiences guide decisions on subsequent medical travels. Findings are explained using the template provided by the theory of planned behaviour. Originality/value This exploratory nature of this research provides a useful basis to elucidate the course of decision-making of Nigerian patients so that appropriate marketing communication channels can be applied. It improves the process of recruiting and engaging Nigerian patients and nurturing wholesome relationships between Nigerian patients and hospitals.