Ethiopia is hellbent on promising a tourist surge with its medical tourism project

Monday, February 26, 2024

Ethiopia is set to transform its largest city, Addis Ababa, into a prominent hub for medical tourism within Africa, with plans to launch a multi-million dollar hospital complex next year. However, the initiative to establish a significant for-profit hospital amidst the country’s struggling health system has faced criticism.

The construction of the Roha Medical Campus, supported by U.S. investors, is underway near Bole Airport in Addis Ababa. The city’s strategic location, bolstered by Ethiopian Airlines’ extensive network across approximately 60 African cities, positions it as an ideal stopover for patients seeking medical services who would otherwise travel to the West or nations like Turkey and India for healthcare.

Lia Tadesse, the former Minister of Health, was a prominent advocate for the project. She communicated to Semafor Africa that the government had extended considerable support to initiatives like the Roha Medical Campus, aiming to diminish Ethiopians’ reliance on foreign medical treatment, which depletes the country’s foreign exchange reserves. This effort is also seen as a means to tap into a new market, with expectations of attracting numerous clients from across the region and continent. The Addis Ababa city administration has facilitated this development by providing 28 hectares of land for the campus’s construction.

Welela Haileselassie, the General Manager of Roha Medical Campus, shared with Semafor Africa the ambition to intercept patients traveling abroad for healthcare, offering them superior and trustworthy medical services. The goal is also to serve as a central healthcare destination for neighboring countries’ residents who travel via Ethiopian Airlines to various renowned healthcare locations.

From inception to completion, Ethiopia’s venture into medical tourism is anticipated to significantly bolster the sector by providing advanced healthcare facilities and services. This strategic move not only aims to retain Ethiopians seeking medical care abroad but also aspires to attract patients from across Africa, leveraging the country’s aviation connectivity. In doing so, Ethiopia hopes to establish a new economic sector that contributes to the nation’s growth while improving healthcare access and quality for its citizens and regional neighbors.

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