JKCI unveils five strategies to boost medical tourism

DAR ES SALAAM: THE Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute (JKCI) has unveiled its first strategic plan for medical tourism, a move aimed at placing Tanzania on the map of providing quality international health services and attracting patients from within and outside the country.

The plan was officially presented by the institution’s Medical Tourism Committee and handed over to JKCI’s Executive Director, Dr Peter Kisenge, who said the plan will be a vision for implementing the institution’s goals in promoting high-quality cardiac services that are internationally accepted.

“Through this plan, we want to ensure that local and international patients receive professional and international-standard services. It is a strategy that will not only help improve the health of the people but also contribute to the national income through medical tourism,” said Dr Kisenge.

He added that the plan is focused on several areas, including strengthening modern medical infrastructure, increasing human resources with professional skills, strengthening medical research, improving the friendly environment of hospitals as well as increasing international cooperation with major health institutions.

According to Dr Kisenge, Tanzania has a great opportunity to benefit from medical tourism due to the increasing demand for cardiac services in Africa and the affordable costs provided by JKCI compared to other countries.

“We want someone who needs cardiac treatment in East and Central Africa not to think about traveling far but to think about coming to Tanzania, especially JKCI, where they will receive quality services at the most affordable cost,” he added.

For their part, members of the Medical Tourism Committee said the preparations for this plan were based on extensive research and consultations with stakeholders in the health and tourism sectors, to ensure that Tanzania benefits appropriately from this opportunity.

This program is also expected to stimulate employment, increase foreign income, and promote the tourism sector in general, as when patients from abroad and their families come to the country to receive medical services, they will also contribute to other sectors such as hotels, transport and trade.

JKCI is currently the main national referral center for heart disease treatment, capable of providing services for major heart surgeries, heart device transplantation, and other professional treatments that citizens previously had to seek abroad.

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With the completion of this first medical tourism program, the institution hopes to further increase the number of international patients coming to the country for services, in parallel with continuing to provide quality services to Tanzanians.