The Economic Development in Africa Report 2017 released by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad) last week shows Kenya is one of Africa’s top beneficiaries of cross-border travel for medical purposes.Its health and wellness facilities are wooing hundreds of visitors from neighbouring states and helping to boost tourism industry.“The medical tourism is marked by African nationals seeking high-end specialised medical services and primary health-care services, increasingly in other African countries,” the report titled Tourism for Transformative and Inclusive Growth states.The report states that a number of Europeans also pour into Africa every year seeking low-cost, high-quality specialised medical services and cosmetic and reconstructive surgery.“Demand by medical tourists for specialised medical care can stimulate job creation for highly skilled health professionals who provide such services,” states the Unctad tourism report.Kenya’s health tourism Strategy 2014– 2018 seeks inbound medical tourism from sub-Saharan Africa.It also targets to increase health-care services exports “through the provision of high-quality health-care services and infrastructure.”

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