Health tourism has been on a steady rise in various markets across the world, and as
demonstrated by the Medical Tourism Global Market Report, 2022, this segment grew from
USD32.03 billion in 2021 to usd35.77 billion in 2022 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR)
of 11.7 percent. The report projects USD54.43 growth in 2026, which translates to CAGR of
11.1 percent.
The patients, the report adds, usually travel from countries lacking healthcare infrastructure or
having high healthcare costs to major medical centers in developing countries. Some of the
medical services sought are cosmetic surgeries, cardiovascular, dental healthcare, fertility
treatment, wellness, and alternative treatment. The medical tourism market includes revenues
generated by healthcare service providers who diagnose and treat patients who travel across
international borders to obtain medical treatment.
The report also outlines major players in the global medical tourism market such as Apollo
Hospital Enterprise, Prince Court Medical Centre, Bumrungrad International Hospital, KPJ
Healthcare Berhad, Fortis Health Limited, Raffles Medical Group, Bangkok Hospital Medical
Centre, Min-Sheng Hospital and Asian Heart Institute. Regions covered in the medical tourism
report include Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America,
Middle East and Africa. Countries covered in the report are Australia, Brazil, China, France,
Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA.
It is interesting to note that this is not only the case in developing world but developed countries
too. A study carried out by Centres for Disease Control and Prevention shows that about 0.75-
1.6 million people from the USA travel out of the country due to the high treatment cost. The
study gives an example of a hip replacement surgery which costs about USD39,299 in USA and
between USD7,000 and USD15,000 in India, Costa Rica or other developing countries. This
cost includes logistics.
A new trend highlighted in the report is that patients traveling across countries for medical
treatment are increasingly using electronic health records to store information related to health
in digital format. An electronic health record plays an import role as it collects patient’s health
and medical examination report stored electronically, allowing instant access by authorized
users. Such records come in handy as they eliminate the need to carry heavy medical records
for patients travelling long distances for treatment.
Declining Medical Travel by Africans
Another report, Research and Market’s Medical Tourism 2022: Africa Potential anticipates fewer
trips to India and other medical tourism destinations by the continent’s middle class following the
surge of investment into medical facilities. The report also indicates there is opportunity for
these facilities to make more money treating lifestyle diseases as owing to the rapid expansion
of Africa’s middle class. The report points out the growing number of medical tourism
destinations beyond South Africa, Morocco, Egypt and Tunisia which currently have some of the
most advanced medical facilities in the region. Besides the above report, the Medical Tourism
Index 2020-21 by Medical Tourism Association has listed South Africa, Egypt, Morocco and
Tunisia as the top destinations in Africa.
The newly listed markets in the Research and Market report are Algeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast,
Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, Rwanda and Tanzania which have potential to enable the continent
save millions of dollars spent annually in the world’s major tourism markets such as India and
United Kingdom (UK).
Further to this, the Research and Markets report shows that Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Congo
and Eswatini are among 12 local sources that could significantly boost intra-Africa tourism and
trade revenues. On the other hands, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Libya, Mozambique, Uganda, Zambia,
and Zimbabwe are also major tourism sources that do not fall under either potential or existing
destinations.
Kenya for instance has consistently been making deliberate efforts geared towards growing the
country’s health tourism. Ten years ago, the country put together a strategic plan incorporating
promotion of medical tourism and wellness. Then, the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) signed a
memorandum of understanding with A&K Global Health as part of its market campaigns to
boost medical tourism in the country with focus on tourists from East and Central Africa region.
The then KTB Managing Director, Muriithi Ndegwa said tourism and wellness was one of the
country’s flagship products which they were keen on promoting to diversity the country’s market
and increase tourist spend.
Building onto what had been initiated by KTB, the country has gone ahead to establish a
Medical Tourism Programme with the main objective of marketing the country as a hub for
specialized healthcare, supporting training and retaining specialized health expertise, creating
employment in specialized healthcare, and transforming healthcare into a vibrant socio-
economic sub-sector in Kenya.
In the Sector Working Group Report, Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) from the
period 2022/23-2024/25, the government highlights plans to establish East Africa Kidney Centre
of Excellence, two trauma centres in Makindu and Rongai, 10 new referral hospitals,
modernization of four national referral health facilities, modern centres of excellence to provide
specialized services in oncology, mental health and non-communicable diseases, among
others. It also plans to develop a national strategy on medical tourism, promote and attract
investments in medical tourism market to market Kenya as a hub for specialized healthcare.
Latest statistics by the country’s Ministry of Health indicate that Kenya gets between 3,000 to
5,000 medical tourists from other African countries.
Africa has incredible potential as a medical tourism destination. As the continent continues to
develop and improve its medical infrastructure, it is well-positioned to become a top destination
for medical tourism. By embracing its unique culture and offering high-quality medical care at
affordable prices, Africa can attract more and more medical tourists and support its growing
economy. The potential for Africa as a medical tourism destination is enormous, and the future looks bright.