The Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife, Dr. Alfred Mutua, has said that Kenya is open and ready to provide quality healthcare to all African countries seeking medical services.
Mutua said the country has top-notch hospitals, equipment, specialists, and a government that allows people visiting to receive medical treatment, noting that Kenya is open to the rest of the world for medical tourism.
The CS made the remarks on Tuesday at the NSSF Building during a press conference on Medical Tourism which was attended by Medical practitioners from different medical facilities to discuss how the country can increase the percentage of tourists through the health sector.
He said his ministry, medical practitioners, and government have partnered to work together to sort out the problems that hospitals encounter whenever they receive patients.
“We also encourage partnerships between hospitals so that when one visits a hospital, the patient can be referred to another hospital in the country to get treated or get a test done,” the CS stated.
Mutua added, “I welcome tourists to take advantage of their travels in the country; while you are here, you can also jump and get into a hospital and get a checkup.”.
Dr. Mutua noted that citizens are treated well in the country, while a total of 10,000 Kenyans travel overseas to seek treatment, terming Kenya as the best destination.
He announced that his ministry plans to achieve a target of 30 to 40 per cent from the 26 per cent statistic of the year 2023 through marketing Kenya in the African continent.
The CS at the same time said that Kenya has specialists in various fields, among them cardiovascular for heart surgery, renal and kidney transplants, oncology treatment for cancer, brain surgery, orthopaedics for injuries and bone treatment, and cosmetic surgery, among others.
He added that the country also leads in the treatment of mental health and wellness across the African region, besides offering fertility and gastro treatment, saying that the coming up of medical tourism will bring more tourists to the country.
Dr. Mutua said the partners are planning to hold a strategic meeting to come up with a positioning metric, launch a marketing programme within the Common Market for Eastern and Southern African countries, have exhibitions and roadshows, and establish international medical protocols and rating systems for hospitals for quality assurance systems.
He said they will also create a website and portal with information from ministries and all different players pertaining to cost to enable tourists to book directly, monitor, and make follow-ups.
In his remarks, the Acting Director of Strategy and Innovation at Nairobi Hospital, Bernard Simiyu, said the partnership is aimed at promoting medical tourism since every hospital facility has invested in the equipment and brought in state-of-the-art equipment.
He added that it’s time for Kenya to open and share with other countries its capacity and qualified specialist doctors who can provide quality healthcare and understand that the patient experience is what matters.
“We might not predict the outcome of any treatment, but the experience every person goes through in the process of treatment makes them feel much better or feel sad,” he stated while adding that medical tourism should make everyone smile and be happy with the country.
By Sharon Atieno and Lilian Mwikali
