Govt urged to invest in healthcare to attract medical tourists
Medical workers prepare a treatment room for patients in Thailand. Thailand is among the top medical tourism destinations in the world. PHOTO BY STEPHEN OTAGE
What you need to know:
- According to statistics from the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB), less than 1000 medical tourists visited the country in 2021 compared to over 10,000 Ugandans travelling abroad to seek specialised medical care
The government has been asked to build a strong healthcare system to attract medical tourists to the country.
According to statistics from the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB), less than 1000 medical tourists visited the country in 2021 compared to over 10,000 Ugandans travelling abroad to seek specialised medical care.
Mr Ian Youngman, a medical travel analyst said Thursday that in the world of medical tourism, country A with a million medical tourists is lauded as more successful than country B which has 5,000,000 tourists in mainstream tourism.
“If you see in terms of gross revenue, A makes more money than B. Any businessperson will know that these top-line numbers are useful but what matters is how much profit is being made,” he said.
He noted that mainstream tourism countries, including regions and cities in France, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain, are limiting the number of inbound tourists and are moving to visitor quality and revenue.
Speaking during the opening of RivExel International Solutions offices in Kampala Thursday, Mr Sherif Beshara, group CEO of American Hospital Dubai said, the government should focus on innovation, high healthcare standards, and collaborations to enhance its international standing in this field to attract many medical tourists.
“Good healthcare infrastructure will successfully consolidate the country’s position as one of the premier global medical tourism destinations,” he said.
According to him, the country will start enjoying growing international trust in its healthcare sector, excelling in delivering distinctive experiences and launching numerous initiatives to attract global medical tourists.
