India, a Much Better Options For African Patients

Alkali Bukar Tayib, a Nigerian who came with his niece Musa Amina in private hospital Max Healthcare, told ‘We came to know about this Indian healthcare system from the mouth of some people. 

After that, we browsed in the interne to get the proper address about this place.’ Before coming to this place, Musa Amina Babagana, at the age of 45, was suffering from the acute rheumatoid arthritis for a decade. She was going through a treatment in Nigeria from a very long time. She did not know then, that mile away in India, a private hospital could bring back the pleasant smile on her face with just one injection. 

A similar case is related to another Nigerian, Ebiakpo Gbefa Enemugha, who is a mother of a three year old, Oyeinpreye Katheryn Enemugha. ‘We have come to this place after successful bone marrow transplantation in August 2013. She is showing good signs after that. She had come with a sickle cell disease, nine months back and was treated with bone marrow transplant for the same.’ The mother is being treated at Fortis Healthcare. 

Another success story is of a Kenyan, Joyce Kariuki, a 63 year old aunt of Anne. She had a successful kidney transplant in India. The niece said, ‘We are happy with the professional approach of the doctors over here and my aunt is responding quite well to the treatment. For the last one year, she was undergoing dialysis.’

Like these above mentioned people there are many other people from Africa who come to India to treat themselves with the affordable world class medical care in the country. ‘ Edwige Ebakisse, director general of Emile Health and Communication, a medical travel agency, said, ‘Out of the total percentage of foreign patients coming to India, more than 50 percent are from African region. We help the patient from their stay to visa to their medical treatment; we provide all services to get them best treatment available in the country.’

African people not only come to Delhi, but also visit the other parts of the country for treatment, like Mumbai and Bangalore. Fortis Healthcare chain at Mumbai and Bangalore along with Delhi receive the patients from Africa. Fortis has 65 facilities across the country, like in the places Ahmadabad in Gujarat and Aurangabad in Maharashtra. 

Anil Vinayak, director of sales and marketing at Max Healthcare, said that every year, they then over 1,000 African patients at their hospital. According to Vinayak, world class treatment at reasonable prices is the main reason behind the Africans to visit India for treatment. As to the report prepared by the Indian Brand Equity Foundation, Indian healthcare revenue rated $ 45 billion in 2012 and is expected to reach $ 160 billion by the year 2017. 

The medical tourism in India is highly benefiting from this fact. The medical tourism industry in India is growing 18 percent per annum and is expected to reach $ 2 billion by the year 2015. Ahish Bhatia, chief operating officer  of Fortis Healthcare, said, ‘About 32 percent of  inflow in the last two years have been recorded of the patients from African countries like Kenya, Tanzania , Ghana and Nigeria.’ He added, ‘Fortis handles around 10,000 foreign patients every year who come from countries in like West Aisa, South Asia, Africa, Europe and the United States of America.’

A Saket City Hospital spokesperson said, ‘Looking at the broader picture, successful diagnostic and medical centers running in foreign countries are mostly operated by Indian doctors, so they are quite familiar with their methods and methodologies of treatment.’ Saket City Hospital in India, around 34 African nationals was admitted between June 2013 and February 2014 for various illness and 257 more in the outpatient department.