Geo-location and range of medical tourism services in Africa.

Abstract

Africa is both a source and a destination for patients who depart from and arrive in the region to consume healthcare that is either unavailable, unaffordable or of low quality at their home countries. This movement of patients represents a growing global phenomenon referred to as medical tourism (MT). Despite its surge in preference, research on the actors and players of MT in Africa is limited. Based on existing literature, this paper explores the structure of MT in Africa in terms of the available medical procedures and their geodistribution in the region, and key MT actors. The systematic scoping review method used in this study followed the Arksey and O’Malley (2005) framework. The design comprised a five-step process that involved identification of the questions to be addressed; identification of the relevant literature sources; selection of literature sources to be included in the review synthesis; recording key themes emerging from the literature; and collation, summary, and reporting of the results. Various databases were searched. The search identified 1346 potentially relevant articles in the scoping review. Findings showed that there are five categories of MT actors and players; each having its unique roles and expectations. At the micro level, MT is organized around multi-specialty hospitals and physician specialists with medical care services organized on specific diseases, organ systems, and/or populations. A few of MT services are offered through freestanding specialty hospitals; more are centers within multi-specialty hospitals with physician specialists.

Keywords

• medical care
• tourism
• healthcare systems
• medical infrastructure