Africa loses an estimated $7 billion every year as patients travel abroad for medical treatment, with more than 300,000 Africans travelling to India alone yearly in search of specialist care, the Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi (AKUH), has disclosed.

The hospital disclosed this at a media roundtable in Lagos, where it called for a stronger investment in Africa’s healthcare systems, while positioning its Nairobi facility as an alternative destination for Nigerians who currently seek treatment in Europe, Asia and the Americas.

Chief Operating Officer of the hospital, Khurram Jamal, attributed the continued outflow of patients and healthcare spending to shortages of specialist services, inconsistent quality standards, fragmented medical travel pathways and the perception that quality healthcare was only available outside Africa.

According to him, reversing the trend requires building healthcare systems that inspire confidence rather than relying on appeals to patriotism.

He maintained that patients would only choose African hospitals if they consistently met international standards.

Jamal said Aga Khan University Hospital was the first in the region to attain Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation and has maintained the certification through successive reaccreditations. He added that the hospital also holds internationally recognised certifications in pathology, laboratory medicine, cardiac care and stroke services.

According to him, accreditation is more than a mark of recognition, serving instead as a framework for standardising care, improving patient safety and ensuring consistent clinical outcomes.

On the continent’s healthcare workforce, Jamal cited World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates showing that at least 4.45 doctors, nurses and midwives are required for every 1,000 people to achieve adequate health coverage, compared with about 1.5 health workers per 1,000 people currently available across Africa.

He said the shortage is compounded by the migration of healthcare professionals who leave the continent for specialist training and do not return.

The hospital said it currently employs about 200 full-time specialists engaged in patient care, teaching and research, while operating 16 clinical fellowship programmes and residency training across nine medical specialisations to expand Africa’s specialist workforce.

Jamal also highlighted what he described as a major imbalance in global medical research, noting that although Africa accounts for about 17 per cent of the world’s population and carries roughly 25 per cent of the global disease burden, it contributes only about four per cent of global clinical trials.

“Africa should not only consume medical knowledge, it must create it,” he said. “The continent bears a quarter of the world’s disease burden, yet contributes only a fraction of global clinical research. Building our own research capacity is essential if we are to develop solutions that reflect Africa’s unique health realities.”

The hospital said that since establishing its Clinical Research Unit in 2020, it has participated in 17 clinical research projects and trials, three of which contributed to therapies now approved for use in Kenya. It added that it plans to establish what it described as sub-Saharan Africa’s first next-generation genome sequencing laboratory to support precision medicine and genomic research.

To improve access to specialist care across the continent, the hospital announced a partnership with Kenya Airways aimed at simplifying medical travel for patients.

Under the arrangement, patients will have access to coordinated referrals, pre-travel teleconsultations, medical travel clearances, subsidised airfares, airport transfers, hospital navigation, accommodation support and post-treatment follow-up with their referring doctors.

Responding to concerns that Nigeria could become merely a source of patients, the hospital’s Strategic Communications Lead for East Africa, Anthony Kagiri, said its engagement with Nigeria was intended to foster collaboration among African health institutions rather than recruit patients.