The African Export-Import Bank has unveiled an ambitious plan to transform healthcare delivery across Africa by establishing cutting-edge medical facilities throughout the continent.
The initiative aims to strengthen Africa’s healthcare system and curb the annual loss of over $1–$2 billion spent on outbound medical tourism.
In an interview with pressmen in Abuja, Afreximbank’s Managing Director of Export Development,
Oluranti Doherty, stated that the bank’s immediate priority is to establish state-of-the-art medical facilities across Africa, starting with the African Medical Centre of Excellence in Abuja.
Doherty stated that the long-term goal is to create a network of advanced healthcare centres across the continent that will complement and reinforce one another, ultimately strengthening Africa’s overall healthcare system.
According to the World Bank and African Union, Africa currently loses over $1–$2 billion annually to outbound medical tourism.
Doherty noted that the first of the four ultramodern medical centres planned by Afreximbank is the African Medical Centre of Excellence, which was inaugurated last Thursday in Abuja by President Bola Tinubu.
According to Doherty, the AMCE was designed to tackle challenges in Africa’s healthcare system and to reduce the negative effects of outbound medical tourism by offering advanced specialist medical services within the continent.
She added that the first phase of constructing the AMCE in Abuja cost $300 million.
“The African Medical Centre of Excellence Abuja is the first and headquarters from where others in Central Africa, South Africa, North Africa are expected to spring up. At the moment, we are finalising the feasibility study on the expansion project in conjunction with Kings College, University Hospital London.
“It involves a hotel component for patients who want to have their family members accompany them and be close to them during treatment to offer love needed for the recuperate. It also involves residency for the medical staff.
“There is also a plan to develop a medical and nursing school within the centre to complement its operations.” Doherty said that AfrExim Bank hopes to replicate the project in other regions of Africa.
She stated that AMCE will start operations this month, initially offering outpatient diagnosis, oncology, and nuclear medicine, with plans to introduce inpatient services by the month’s end.
“By the third month, the centre will roll out its full services,” she said.
Doherty emphasized that the bank views health as wealth, noting that the project is not driven by profit.
She added that a key motivation behind the initiative is its potential to boost trade in medical services and related products across Africa.
“We believe it’s only a healthy person that could engage in trade. We took a deliberate decision because we believe that health is wealth and that a healthy continent is a wealthy continent,” she said.
