Aga Khan seeks African-led healthcare drive to halt $7bn medical tourism drain

To stem the estimated $7 billion Africa lost annually to medical tourism, the Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi (AKUH) on Wednesday in Lagos called for an African-led transformation of the continent’s healthcare systems, warning that the exodus of patients and healthcare spending is undermining Africa’s capacity to build world-class health systems. Speaking at a media roundtable in Lagos, the Chief Operating Officer of Aga Khan University Hospital, Mr. Khurram Jamal, said more than 300,000 Africans travel to India every year for medical treatment, while billions of dollars that could strengthen healthcare systems across Africa continue to leave the continent. “We cannot expect patients to stay simply out of patriotism. We must earn their trust by delivering internationally benchmarked quality, embedding safety into every process and proving that world-class healthcare is available right here in Africa.”