October 7, 2022

Medical Tourism: Reasons For Seeking Quality Care Abroad

Katherine Keango

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When a person falls ill and cannot get quality care at home, many opt to seek care abroad. Medical tourism has become very popular in Africa today especially with the emergence of new lifestyle diseases and chronic illnesses that previous generations did not encounter.

Life expectancy in Kenya has risen from 51.74 years in 2000 to 67.21 years in 2022 as per data from the United Nations – World Population Prospects duly as a result of better access to healthcare and life saving drugs. This improvement is in part as a result of pharmaceutical supply chains being localized, with big pharma companies expanding their reach and setting up shop beyond their borders. Another major accomplishment in pharmaceuticals is the introduction of generic drugs that are much cheaper than branded drugs.

Despite all these tremendous strides, many patients are still unable to receive quality care at home and affordable drugs that keep them alive post surgery and during treatment. The Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Management Programme at Strathmore University Business School challenged participants to dive deeper and understand the reasons behind medical tourism.

The rise of chronic disease in Africa has risen in the past two decades and medical professionals have been unable to keep up in terms of technology and expertise. For medical tourists with sufficient funds, they opt for the highest levels of medical skill and technology to extend their lives. On the other hand, for many, cost is always a factor and if care at home is too pricey, medical tourism is the only chance patients have for affordable care.

Globalization of the healthcare marketplace has seen many innovations in recent years; most notably, Mercy Ships. Mercy Ships is an international charity that believes quality care is a necessity and not a luxury – this belief led them to commission a fleet of two cruise ships harbored in Benin, for the purpose of giving access to safe surgical, obstetric, and anesthetic care across Africa. Mercy Ships serves eleven African countries, primarily in West Africa. This free healthcare saves thousands of lives annually and provides care and medicine to those who would otherwise be doomed by their maladies.

The Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Management Programme challenged participants to find solutions to the problems faced in healthcare today – especially that of access to affordable quality care and pharmaceuticals.

Article by Katherine Keango

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