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Ethiopia plans $400 million medical tourism hub amid criticism
Ethiopia is set to open a $400 million hospital complex, the Roha Medical Campus, in Addis Ababa in 2025 with hopes of transforming the city into an African medical tourism hub.
The Roha Medical Campus, strategically located near Bole Airport, one of Africa's busiest air transit hubs, targets patients travelling for advanced medical treatment, Semafor reports.
With major sponsorship from U.S. investors, the initiative aims to attract patients who would otherwise seek medical services abroad. However, the plan for a for-profit hospital in a country grappling with a collapsing health system is facing criticism.
Africans currently spend over $5 billion annually on medical services outside the continent, with many seeking solutions for noncommunicable diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and hypertension. Ethiopians alone spend approximately $500 million on medical tourism.
Former Health Minister Lia Tadesse, a key supporter of the project, emphasized its potential to reduce the need for Ethiopians to spend foreign exchange on medical treatment abroad. The government has provided significant support, including allocating 28 hectares of land for construction and offering favourable tax status for imported medical supplies and equipment.
Despite these efforts, critics argue that prioritizing a high-cost medical tourism hub in a country with a struggling healthcare system may divert resources from urgent public health needs.
