The KEPSA Health Sector Board – Kenya Healthcare Federation (KHF), in partnership with the Ministry of Health, Strathmore University Business School, UN SDG Partnership Platform and Open Phences, hosted the inaugural East Africa Health Expo 2022 at the Strathmore University. The 3-day event, which was held on 25^th – 27^th, brought together global, regional, national and local partners from the various sectors, including health, trade, tourism and education. The theme of the event is ‘East Africa as Hub for Specialized Medical Care, Investments in Health and Innovative Healthcare Solutions’.

Present in the opening ceremony included Ms. Flora Mutahi – Chair, KEPSA; Mr. Nik Nesbitt – Chair, East African Business Council (EABC) & KEPSA Director; Dr. Kanyenje Gakombe – Chair, KHF; Dr. Anastasia Nyalita – CEO, KHF; Dr. Simon Kibias – Head of the Directorate of Health Standards, Quality Assurance & Regulations; Prof. Izael Da Silva – DVC, Research, Strathmore University; Brendan Kwesiga – Technical Health Financing Officer, World Health Organisation (WHO); Mr. Charles Kahuthu – CEO, East Africa Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture; Dr. Ian Clarke – Chair, East Africa Healthcare Federation; Dr. Samora Otieno – Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Officer, Kenya Health Team Leader; Dr. Francis Mwanisi – Registrar of Private Hospitals, Tanzania; Dr. Kediende Chong – DG, International Health & Coordination South Sudan; Mr. Julius Kirima – Director of Industries, Ministry of Industrialisation, Trade & Enterprise Development; Dr. Ehud Gachugu – Project Director, Ajira Digital Program and Youth Employment at KEPSA among other sector leaders.

In her welcoming remarks, Dr. Nyalita noted that the expo provided an opportunity for the East African region healthcare stakeholders to pull together and leverage the existing expertise and ensure that the region is a go-to-place when it comes to healthcare. Ms. Nyalita also encouraged participants to look into the private sector priority framework to help in informing collaboration going forward.

KHF Chair Dr. Gakombe said that the event provided an opportunity for healthcare players to better deal with emerging challenges in the sector, digitalization, Universal Health Coverage, and supply chain among other issues in the health sector. “Let’s have the conversation, knowing that if we are ever going to catch up with the rest of the world, we will not do it by copycatting nor travelling at the same pace that they have travelled. We have to do it at a much faster pace.” Said Dr. Gakombe.

On her part, Ms. Flora Mutahi noted that the private sector acknowledges the fact that health is the foundation for economic and social development in East Africa and the globe at large. She said that KEPSA has always advocated for quality health, and this was brought to a test during the Covid pandemic where the region’s weaknesses in the health sector were exposed. “The forum today should provoke us to brace for future pandemics,” She noted. Ms. Mutahi also said that the effectiveness of the health supply chain in assuring the security of health products and technologies through delivery across all the levels of the healthcare system in an equitable, reliable, and cost-effective manner was critical.

Mr. Nesbitt spoke on how the region needs to innovate, invest in advanced technology and proper facilities, identify a target market and specialize in good ecosystems that foster good international relations. “If you want to be the hub, you’ve got to allow the best doctors in the world to come to Kenya,” He said while adding that competition is not the foreign doctors but mediocrity in the sector, lack of commitment, lack of investment in the sectors and many other issues that push patients elsewhere.

The Ministry of Health representative Dr. Simon Kibias noted that East Africa has the potential to be a premier medical choice and destination in Africa, with different centres of excellence being developed in East African countries. He added that the increase in focused funding and health policy shifts towards universal healthcare, excellent specialised care hospitals and increased foreign and global investment in the health sector is indeed an indicator that East Africa is the centre for medical tourism. He also underscored the need for partnerships in healthcare, saying that this will enhance healthcare and also lead to the exchange of knowledge and skills and improve the quality of healthcare offered in the region.

The event featured panel discussions on medical tourism and innovations in healthcare. It emerged from the discussions that effective medical tourism requires the whole chain to be effective from reaching out to the hospital for treatment, transfer/airlift of patients and accommodation of patients for out of hospital treatment. Standardization of healthcare services and accreditation of training institutions are some of the issues that came up during the medical tourism discussion.