What is it about?
Kenyan patients gave 3 key reasons for seeking cancer treatment abroad, in India; advice from physicians, friends, and family, and anticipation of better quality of care. This first-time gathered evidence-based information can be used to grow in-ward bound medical tourism, reverse out-ward bound medical tourism and strengthen local healthcare systems from cancer patients’ perspective.
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Why is it important?
The article gives the patients' perspective on out-ward bound medical tourism from Kenya to India for cancer treatment. Globally, the practice of patients traveling abroad for medical treatment, otherwise known as medical tourism, is growing for various reasons such as the lack of specialized care in the home country, and the search for lower cost of medical care. Kenya is experiencing an increasing number of cancer patients seeking treatment abroad at a high financial cost to the country. On the positive side, the patients receive specialized care that is not available or is prohibited in the country. On the downside, the practice weakens the local health system. Additionally, some patients develop and return with serious medical complications that are difficult to treat, such as multi-drug-resistant infections. For the first time, we were able to scientifically identify and document reasons Kenyan cancer patients seeking treatment in India; 1) upon the advice of their physicians, 2) at the urging of friends and family, and 3) they thought they are more to get better quality of care there. Other key influencing factors were; 4) monthly income greater than USD 250, and 5) longer duration from the time they knew they had cancer. These given reasons show that there is a need to strengthen the healthcare system and sensitize the physicians and general public on the same. In so doing contribute to reversing the out-ward bound medical tourism.
Perspectives
Doing this study, writing it up, and getting published in PLOS with my co-authors was a great achievement and pleasure. Most of the work on medical tourism has come from the developing world or health workers' perspective. We found it eye-opening to hear from the patients themselves and see how strongly physicians in Kenya influence their decision-making. We hope and trust that it will open the door for more research in this area in our region.
Dr Mary Wangai
Ministry of Health Kenya
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Understanding and comparing the medical tourism cancer patient with the locally managed patient: A case control study, PLoS ONE, September 2022, PLOS,
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0273162.
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