There is a lot Kenya can learn from India’s success, even with its traditional systems, about rooting its ambition to become a choice medical tourism destination in the strategic formalisation of its offerings, Muthuri Kinyamu, Founder of Accessible Travel, writes.
The recent passing of a prominent Kenyan statesman in an Ayurvedic clinic in India has sparked national grief, but it should also trigger a sobering policy conversation about why Kenyans and East Africans seek medical treatment abroad.
For too long, Kenya has watched billions of shillings flow out of the country as its elite and middle class seek specialist care abroad, often in India for everything from complex oncology to knee replacements. This latest, tragic incident, which involved alternative medicine, underscores the single most vital lesson Kenya can learn from established hubs like India- that medical tourism is won by packaging world-class care with an irresistible, seamless destination experience.
Kenya’s ambition to become a regional medical tourism powerhouse is clear and articulated in initiatives such as the Kenya Tourism Board’s 2025 strategy, which accurately identifies the sector’s potential to generate revenue and upgrade local facilities. We boast world-class hospitals, advanced equipment like the Cyberknife, and highly skilled specialists. Our natural assets offer a superior recovery environment compared to many of our competitors. Yet, we remain a net exporter of medical patients.
The lure of India is multifaceted. They successfully market the full health journey package: state-of-the-art allopathic surgery at a fraction of Western costs, combined with a parallel, organized system of traditional healing—Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani (AYUSH)—for holistic recovery. Patients travel not just for the heart surgery at a JCI-accredited facility, but for the promise of a professionally packaged, comprehensive wellness retreat.
Medical tourism hinges on the ability to move patients safely and comfortably—a non-negotiable part of the premium package coupled with quality nursing care and the warmth of Kenyan hospitality served with a smile.
Kenya Has All It Needs
India’s success, even with its traditional systems, is rooted in the strategic formalisation of its offerings. The structure provides a clear, credible, and marketable product.
Kenya’s destination marketing strategy recognized this opportunity, and the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) has previously hosted a wellness forum, followed by a medical tourism forum earlier this year. It later showcased the services offered by the Magical Kenya Medical and Tourism Product Club members at the recently concluded Magical Kenya Travel Expo in Nairobi.
While our focus has been heavily on modern, specialized allopathic care, Kenya is now seeking to integrate and market our unique recovery and wellness assets that leverage our beaches, conservancies, and hospitality infrastructure to create a unique value proposition that our competitors cannot match.
The focus should be on creating similarly integrated, market-ready offerings that combine the precision of modern medicine with the restorative power of a Kenyan recovery.
The Critical Role of Seamless Patient Transport
Kenya cannot afford a fragmented approach. Medical tourism hinges on the ability to move patients safely and comfortably—a non-negotiable part of the premium package coupled with quality nursing care and the warmth of Kenyan hospitality served with a smile. Kenya Airways (KQ), as the national carrier, provides the vital market linkage to our source markets to bring medical and wellness tourists to Kenya.
For the critical ‘last mile,’ Specialized Ground Mobility Providers-e.g., Accessible Travel-ensure seamless, dignified transfers from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to medical or recovery sites using wheelchair-accessible transport.
Our focus on Brand Building, Trust, and Credibility should now be driven by tangible, promotable packages. We need to implement three critical lessons for market success:
- •Formalize and Package the Wellness Circuit: Establish a clear national strategy to integrate, accredit, and formalize local traditional, herbal, and wellness practitioners. This allows us to create a high-value, marketable Kenyan wellness offering—a clear recovery extension of medical care—to directly compete with international destinations.
- •Standardize Quality and Achieve Global Branding: Accreditation is the foundation of market entry. We need to ensure every targeted facility achieves global standards like JCI certification. Patients want proof that Kenyan hospitals are operating at the same level as the ones they might visit in Bangkok or Delhi, and this quality mark should be at the core of our international branding efforts.
- •Launch Comprehensive, End-to-End Patient Packages: India excels at logistics, offering full packages. Kenya needs to strategically connect its doctors, hospitals, hotels, and transport services—formally adopting the KTB’s recommendation for a “seamless patient experience.” Our unique tourism assets (safari, beaches) should be recovery destinations, branded and sold alongside the medical procedure.
The recent tragic incident involving a national figure seeking treatment abroad serves as a painful reminder of our current medical outflow. It is not enough to have good doctors and modern machines. To truly unlock the billions in medical tourism potential, Kenya must learn to export not just medical services, but a state-backed, competitively packaged health and recovery journey.
Muthuri Kinyamu, the writer, is the Founder of Accessible Travel Kenya, which provides Non-Emergency Medical Transfers in Nairobi, Kenya.
