Login

Lost your password?

Sign Up

Register

Login

Login

Lost your password?

Register

Thursday, July 7, 2022
  • Home
  • Banking
  • Industry & Trade
  • Investing
  • Money Deals
  • Regional Markets
  • Tech & Biz
  • Countries
  • Opinion

Africa's
Investment
Gateway

The Exchange
  • Login
  • Register
Subscribe
This Month's Edition
Previous Editions
  • Home
  • Banking
  • Industry & Trade
  • Investing
  • Money Deals
  • Regional Markets
  • Tech & Biz
  • Countries
  • Opinion
No Result
View All Result
The Exchange
  • Home
  • Banking
  • Industry & Trade
  • Investing
  • Money Deals
  • Regional Markets
  • Tech & Biz
  • Countries
  • Opinion
No Result
View All Result
The Exchange
LOGIN
alternatetext
Taking charge of mental health

Taking charge of mental health

Kenya: Destination Medical Tourism  

It is this status that propels the country to invest heavily in its health sector in a bid to improve its state, so it can attract more medical tourists from the continent.  

by Kawira Mutisya
July 31, 2020
in Health
0
Share on FacebookShare on LinkedIn

In 2017, Kenya was named among the top six destinations where African nationals visit seeking high-end specialised medical services.

It is this status that propels the country to invest heavily in its health sector in a bid to improve its state, so it can attract more medical tourists from the continent.

According to a report dubbed Tourism for Transformative and Inclusive Growth, medical tourism — cross-border travel for medical purposes, including for medical services and elective procedures — is an emerging market segment that has expanded in recent years in several African countries, notably Egypt, Kenya, Mauritius, Morocco, South Africa and Tunisia.

This is a sector that the Aga Khan Development Network is also looking to build on in East Africa. The The Aga Khan Hospital, in Dar es Salaam for instance was established in 1964, as a multispecialty 74-bed hospital offering quality health care for the people of Tanzania. In 2018, the expansion of the Hospital transformed the institution into a world-class health care facility. A leading 170-bed teaching and tertiary care referral hospital enabled it to provide a significantly higher level of specialised care combining cutting-edge technology with highly skilled human resources.

In Uganda, the Aga Khan University Hospital based in Karachi, has announced plans to construct a 600-bed world-class teaching hospital. The state-of-the-art facility is expected to consist of a medical education block and housing facilities, and will provide advanced forms of specialist treatment and care.

According to BMJ Journals, some patients travel out of, while others come into Africa for medical care through a growing global phenomenon referred to as medical tourism (MT): the travel in search of medical care that is unavailable, unaffordable or proscribed in their home healthcare systems.  Africa is concurrently a source and destination of patients who form part of this global phenomenon.

Having established itself as an East African business hub and a key pharmaceutical market, Kenya is already host to many multinationals, mostly through local representative offices or distributors, according to a report by Fitch Solutions.

Information from the ministry of Health in Kenya shows that approximately 10,000 Kenyans travel abroad annually, in search of medical treatment and end up spending at least KSh10 billion (US$92.8 million) in the same period. The government is now working to provide quality healthcare in the country in a bid to reverse current trends in medical tourism by Kenyans seeking health services abroad.

A report by Medic East Africa dubbed 2019 Healthcare Market Insights: East Africa authorities in Kenya are also investing in regulatory improvement initiatives, which will complement their efforts to achieve universal healthcare coverage.

“On the other hand, some foreign players may remain wary of committing to the market due to the prevalence of counterfeit medicines, low per capital purchasing power and the uncertain funding base. Kenya has made significant progress in tackling longstanding issues, such as high child and maternal mortality rates.” The report reads in part.

However, the fact that a substantial proportion of the population lives in rural areas (Source: Population Reference Bureau 2017) Kenya continues to present challenges in relation to access and quality of care but authors of the report remain optimistic regarding the trajectory of Kenya’s healthcare system, though adequate and sustained financing may be difficult to secure.

Private hospitals in Kenya have rolled out multi-billion shilling expansion projects in order to meet the current and expected growth in demand for quality healthcare services as the country’s middle class population grows. The Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi Hospital, Avenue Group, Coptic Hospital, Kenyatta University and AAR Health Services have all launched major development schemes that will see new branches opened and services broadened. Similarly, in August 2016, India-based Grant Medical Foundation’s Ruby Hall Clinic launched a 400-bed facility in Kenya, with a focus on cardiology and oncology.

Health insurance 

Kenya has a robust medical insurance sector. However it is yet to be fully tapped into. In early 2017, World Health Organisation (WHO) figures showed that almost every four out of five Kenyans had no access to medical insurance, which precluded them from being able to obtain necessary healthcare services.

alternatetext

“In order to expand affordable healthcare coverage in Kenya, President Uhuru Kenyatta has vowed to increase cooperation between the NHIF and private insurance providers, as well as to change laws regarding such providers. The authorities are targeting 100% coverage in 2022, up from 56% currently, or around 25.7 million of the population,” the study reads in part.

Also Read: What the Pandemic is teaching us about Health System Readiness

What Kenya offers that others don’t? 

Kenya hosts several multinationals and NGOs whose diplomatic employees are ensured to have access to quality healthcare.   Just recently, the United Nations Office commissioned a KSh1.1 billion ($10.2 million) COVID-19 treatment facility for its staff in the region.

This is one advantage that Kenya has over other East African countries. Other than this, several regional dignitaries have over time been seeking medical care in Kenya. In May, Burundi’s first lady Denise Bucumi Nkurunziza was brought into the country to seek treatment for COVID-19.

Kenya’s reputation for quality healthcare services is higher than its neighbouring countries.

Does Kenya have the numbers it needs to sustain the MT market?

An analysis on the health sector in Kenya by Aetna shows that even with spending just 5.7% of GDP on health care, low by global standards, it is higher than that of some neighbouring countries like Sudan and Ethiopia.

The analysis shows, “There is one doctor per 5,000 inhabitants and there can be huge variation in standards of care across geographical areas, private and public facilities, and the type of treatment available. The best private hospitals are to be found in the larger cities such as Nairobi and Mombasa, offering the kind of provision akin to that available in developed countries for many conditions.”

Also read: Kenya urged to take advantage of its health assets in medical tourism

Over the past 15 years Kenya has made marked progress in improving key health outcomes, but much remains to be done to improve the quality of care provided at both public and private facilities across the country. This is according to data from AMREF which also states that management deficiencies, personnel and financial constraints, lack of adherence to hygiene standards, and shortages of medical equipment are among the factors which undermine the quality of care.  The AMREF analysis goes on to state, “This, in turn, leads to low utilisation of health services, particularly by the millions of Kenyans who do not have health insurance and must pay directly for care.”

The government is working hand in hand with several organisations like GIZ to improve the quality of healthcare in the country. This is in line with President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Big 4 agenda, one of which is to achieve universal health coverage in the country as it looks to provide affordable health care for all. All these are efforts that the country is undertaking to enhance its healthcare attraction within the bloc.

Offering specialisation treatments

A 2019 Healthcare Market Insights on Kenya by Medic East Africa shows that Kenya has established itself as an East African business hub and a key pharmaceutical market. Authorities are also investing in regulatory improvement initiatives, which will complement their efforts to achieve universal healthcare coverage.

In terms of specialised treatment, Kenya is famed for having the first ever comprehensive cancer centre in the region. This is the HCG CCK Cancer Centre that has various facilities like radiation therapy, specialised oncology treatments, palliative care and patient support all under one roof.

Also Read: Aga Khan hospital leads battle against Prostate Cancer in East and Central Africa

Kenya is also home to East Africa’s kidney institute placing it at the helm of kidney research on the bloc. The country also provides top quality, comprehensive and cost-effective cardiac care to patients from within Kenya, other East African nations and beyond through Africa Heart Associates based in Nairobi through the Aga Khan Hospital, The Nairobi Hospital, and MP Shah Hospital.

Generally East African countries continue to face health challenges including large numbers of maternal and child mortality rates and the adverse effects of infectious diseases. Each country faces challenges within its health system that hinders its government’s capacity to meet the needs of its most vulnerable people.

An analysis from Medic East Africa shows that in a bid to grow the health sector in Kenya, private hospitals have rolled out multi-billion shilling expansion projects in order to meet the current and expected growth in demand for quality healthcare services as the country’s middle class population grows.

“The Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi Hospital, Avenue Group, Coptic Hospital, Kenyatta University and AAR Health Services have all launched major development schemes that will see new branches opened and services broadened. Similarly, in August 2016, India-based Grant Medical Foundation’s Ruby Hall Clinic launched a 400-bed facility in Kenya, with a focus on cardiology and oncology,” reads the report in part.

Based on industry analysis, Kenya is still ahead when it comes to medical care in the region, though other countries are also catching up.

Also Read: Kenya urged to take advantage of its health assets in medical tourism

Tags: Aga Khan Hospitalshealth SectorKenya as a destination for Medical Tourismpremium

STATE OF ECONOMY - GET THE REPORT

ASSESSING EAST AFRICA

Loading...

Kawira Mutisya

Yvonne Kawira is an award winning journalist with an interest in matters, regional trade, tourism, entrepreneurship and aviation. She has been practicing for six years and has a degree in mass communication from St Paul’s University.

Related Posts

Africa

Powering Africa: Renewables safest bet for sustainable future

July 4, 2022
Group photo of AU-EU Heads os State at 5th African Union - European Union Summit. Photo by African Union
Africa

Brussels: Vaccines for Africa top agenda at Europe Summit

February 18, 2022
UNICEF offering humanitarian aid in South Sudan. www.theexchange.africa
Africa

UNICEF US$255 million appeal for 1.5 million African children

January 30, 2022
Next Post
The Mara Wildebeest migration- The Exchange

Beyond the pandemic: Cushioning Kenya’s tourism sector 

Trade in Africa: International Organization for Migration: Exchange

Insight: Trading trajectory after the pandemic

Relief in Africa: World Economic Forum: Exchange

Post-pandemic grip: trends that could shape Africa’s economy 




This months edition

Features

Countries

Era of the African Passport: A mixed bag of opportunities?

by june njoroge
July 4, 2022
0

The African passport is a common passport document that is set to replace the existing nationally issued AU member states’...

Read more
Sibongile Thobakgale. She is the area sales manager for South Africa at Aggreko Africa. www.theexchange.africa
Investing

Transforming manufacturing in Africa

by Opinion
July 4, 2022
0

From cement to food and beverages to metal production and processing, manufacturing organisations are looking for sustainable energy solutions to...

Read more
Wallace Manyara. He is the Business Development Manager, Region South & East Africa, Wärtsilä Energy. www.theexchange.africa
Investing

Renewables, gas cheapest ways to meet Mozambique’s electricity demand

by Opinion
July 1, 2022
0

To meet its growing energy needs and increase electricity access across the population, Mozambique must build 1.3GW of new power...

Read more
By 2030, tech financing in Africa will hit US$90 billion. African governments have a lot to do to reduce the risk of investing in tech startups. www.theexchange.africa
Tech & Business

Challenges and opportunities across Africa’s tech ecosystems

by Njenga Hakeenah
July 4, 2022
0

In addition, governments have to make things better for businesses. Currently, tech start-ups have to pay a lot to comply...

Read more
Foreign Currency Auction System Fails to Meet Soaring Demand
Industry and Trade

Foreign currency auction fails to meet soaring demand

by Laurence Sithole
July 4, 2022
0

Despite these fundamentals, the Zimbabwe dollar has continued to slide against the United States dollar prompting the government to take...

Read more

News

Banking
Industry & Trade
Investing
Money Deals
Regional Markets
Tech & Biz
Opinion

Countries

Kenya
Tanzania
Uganda
Burundi
Rwanda
Southern Africa
Ethiopia

More

My Account
Contact us
Advertise
About us
Help Center

Subscribers Center

E-paper
Premium Stories
Education Rates
Corporate Subscriptions
Weekely Newsletter

  • My account
  • About us
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Refund Policy – The Exchange
  • Sitemap

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Banking
  • Industry & Trade
  • Investing
  • Money Deals
  • Regional Markets
  • Tech & Biz
  • Countries
  • Opinion
  • Login
  • Sign Up
  • Cart

© 2021 The Exchange - Powered by MediapixManaged by Supported by Digihandler,

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In