Primary Care vs Specialist in Lagos
When to See a GP and When to Go Straight to a Specialist

Why Primary Care First Is Usually the Right Move

In the UK and most European countries, seeing a GP before a specialist is mandatory, specialists only see patients referred by a GP. In Nigeria, this gatekeeping function is largely absent, meaning patients can and do go directly to specialists. This is sometimes appropriate, but often results in: expensive specialist consultations for conditions that are straightforwardly managed at primary care level; referral to the wrong specialist; and missing an underlying condition that explains multiple symptoms.

A good GP does several things a specialist cannot: considers the whole person rather than a specific organ system; takes a comprehensive history that identifies the most likely diagnosis before any investigation; orders the minimum appropriate investigations rather than a full specialist workup on the first visit; and knows when and to which specialist to refer.

START WITH A GP at Mascot Healthcare For:

• Any new symptom that you haven't had investigated yet, fever, pain, discharge, rash, fatigue, breathlessness
• A cluster of symptoms affecting multiple body systems, the GP works out which system is primary
• Chronic disease management: diabetes, hypertension, thyroid, asthma, chronic pain
• Women's health primary care: menstrual problems, vaginal infections, cervical screening, contraception
• Men's health: STI concerns, ED, prostate symptoms, testosterone
• Infection management: malaria, typhoid, skin infections, respiratory infections
• Pregnancy tests, pregnancy blood tests and pregnancy scans (antenatal care is provided by antenatal clinics)
• Pre-employment and health screening packages

GO DIRECTLY TO A SPECIALIST For:

• Ophthalmologist: Sudden vision loss, eye injury, corneal problems, diabetic retinopathy screening
• Orthopaedic surgeon: Confirmed fracture, joint replacement assessment, bone tumour
• Cardiologist: Confirmed heart failure or arrhythmia needing specialist management; known valve disease
• Oncologist: Confirmed cancer diagnosis (after GP biopsy result)
• Neurosurgeon: Confirmed intracranial lesion or spinal cord compression
• Fertility specialist / IVF: After completing primary care fertility workup and Clomid/letrozole cycles have failed

What Happens When You Come to Mascot Healthcare

Our doctors assess your complaint, perform appropriate investigations, and either manage it entirely at primary care level or provide you with a specific referral to the right specialist with a full written clinical summary. The referral letter means your specialist appointment is efficient. You do not start from scratch. We know which Lagos specialists are most appropriate for different conditions and write specific rather than vague referrals.

About this article: Written by the Mascot Healthcare clinical team. This article is reviewed annually and updated to reflect current guidelines and data.