Health check-up for an older parent in Lagos: what it includes, what it costs and how often

What does a routine check-up for an older parent usually include?

Check-ups for older adults are commonly built around the conditions that become more frequent with age: high blood pressure, diabetes, raised cholesterol, kidney disease and eye disease. The list below is what is commonly included, not a prescription. A clinician decides what is right for your parent.

• Blood pressure, weight, height and waist measurement. These are the core measurements in the NHS Health Check (NHS, page reviewed August 2023).
• Fasting blood sugar or HbA1c, which reflects average blood sugar over recent months.
• A lipid profile, including total and HDL cholesterol.
• Kidney function: a blood test for electrolytes, creatinine and eGFR, and a urine test for protein. NICE lists these, with HbA1c and cholesterol, among the tests to offer everyone with high blood pressure (NG136).
• An ECG (heart tracing) and an examination of the back of the eye, both also on the NICE list for people with high blood pressure.
• An eye test. The NHS advises eye tests at least every 2 years for everyone, and lists being over 50 and being from a Black African background as risk factors for glaucoma (NHS, page reviewed June 2025).
• A full blood count and urinalysis, which many check-up packages include as standard.

What does a check-up cost at a Lagos hospital in 2026?

Prices vary by hospital, area and year. Treat these as indicative ranges and ask for a current written price before booking. Sterling figures use ₦1,825 to £1, the rate Nairametrics reported from Central Bank of Nigeria data on 27 October 2026.

• Lagos State general hospitals: consultation about ₦2,500 to ₦3,000 (£1.40 to £1.60), plus a registration card of ₦1,000 to ₦1,500 (a Lagos city cost guide, May 2026). ThisDay reported in January 2026 that Orile Agege General Hospital charged a minimum of ₦700 before care.
• Teaching hospitals such as LUTH and LASUTH: consultation about ₦5,000 (£2.70), plus registration of ₦2,500 to ₦3,000 (same guide, May 2026).
• A June 2026 guide to booking at LUTH estimated most routine check-up costs at ₦5,000 to ₦20,000 (£2.70 to £11), with registration, consultation and each test paid separately.
• Private hospitals: consultation about ₦15,000 at a standard private clinic and ₦20,000 to ₦25,000 at the larger hospitals in Victoria Island, Lekki and Ikeja (£8 to £14) (Lagos city cost guide, May 2026).
• Full check-up packages: ₦20,000 to ₦50,000 at public hospitals, ₦40,000 to ₦100,000 at private hospitals and ₦60,000 to ₦200,000 at the largest private hospitals (£11 to £110). Executive packages run ₦100,000 to ₦350,000 (£55 to £192) (same guide, May 2026).

What do individual tests cost in Nigeria?

If a doctor has already said which tests are needed, booking them individually at a diagnostic lab can cost less than a package. Ranges below are national figures from a Nigerian diagnostic-booking platform's 2026 price guide (May 2026, updated June 2026); Lagos prices sit within or near them.

• Fasting blood sugar: ₦500 to ₦4,200 (£0.30 to £2.30), from ₦500 at government facilities
• HbA1c: ₦3,000 to ₦8,000 (£1.60 to £4.40)
• Lipid profile: ₦5,000 to ₦12,000 (£2.70 to £6.60)
• Kidney function (electrolytes, urea, creatinine): ₦4,000 to ₦10,000 (£2.20 to £5.50)
• Full blood count: ₦2,000 to ₦6,700 (£1.10 to £3.70)

How often should an older parent have a check-up?

For someone with high blood pressure, the World Health Organization suggests a follow-up every 3 to 6 months once blood pressure is under control, and monthly after starting or changing medicine until it reaches target (WHO guideline on pharmacological treatment of hypertension in adults, 2021, recommendation 7). NICE recommends an annual review of care for adults with high blood pressure (NG136).

For someone with type 2 diabetes, NICE recommends measuring HbA1c every 3 to 6 months until it is stable on unchanging treatment, then every 6 months (NG28, recommendation 1.5.1). NHS diabetic eye screening is offered every year, or every 2 years if the last two tests found no changes (NHS, page reviewed October 2024).

For older adults without a known condition there is no fixed international interval. In England, adults aged 40 to 74 without certain existing conditions are invited to an NHS Health Check every 5 years. For a parent over 74, the interval is a question for their clinician.

How can a family abroad get the results?

Results are normally given to the patient, so the simplest route is to ask the clinic at booking whether it will email results to a named family member, and what consent it needs. Nigeria's Data Protection Act 2023 treats health information as sensitive personal data that can only be processed under specific conditions, one of which is consent, so expect the clinic to ask your parent to agree in writing.

Ask for the full report with reference ranges, not only the doctor's summary, and keep each report in one place so results can be compared from one check-up to the next.

On a Kinship Visit in Lagos, blood pressure and weight are recorded in the report the family receives.

What should you ask when booking a check-up?

• Which tests are in the package, and is a consultation with a doctor included?
• What is the total price, and can it be confirmed in writing before the day?
• Does your parent need to fast beforehand, and for how long?
• Is there a set appointment time, or is it first come, first served? LUTH's general outpatient clinic has no central online booking and runs on weekdays (June 2026).
• How long do results take, and will a doctor go through them with your parent?
• Can results be emailed to a named family member with your parent's written consent?
• Is there step-free access and somewhere to sit while waiting?
• How can payment be made from abroad?

Questions people ask

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• Kinship Visits in Lagos