Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi, has called for a coordinated Africa-led strategy to tackle the continent’s healthcare challenges by strengthening health systems, improving quality of care, investing in specialist training, expanding clinical research and making access to advanced healthcare services easier within Africa.
The Chief Operating Officer, Khurram Jamal, stated at a media roundtable in Lagos that Africa possesses the expertise, human capital, and resources needed to build healthcare systems capable of earning patients’ confidence and significantly reducing the growing dependence on medical treatment outside the continent.
According to him, Africa continues to lose billions of dollars annually to outbound medical tourism, a trend that weakens local health systems and diverts much-needed investment away from the continent.
Jamal disclosed that an estimated $7 billion leaves Africa every year as patients seek treatment abroad, with more than 300,000 Africans travelling to India alone for specialist healthcare.
He noted that the exodus is fuelled by inadequate specialist services, inconsistent quality standards, fragmented referral systems and the widespread perception that superior healthcare can only be accessed outside Africa.
