India major player in Kenya’s healthcare

India has emerged as a key player in Kenya’s healthcare sector and needs to build on this, India’s High Commissioner to Kenya Rahul Chhabra said.

“The Indian healthcare industry has established its roots in Kenya. Indian hospitals have begun investing not only in Nairobi, but also in other cities and could increase their presence in this sector,” Chhabra said.

“Over 10,000 Kenyan patients travel to India (annually) for medical purposes and this underscores the need for affordable healthcare in Kenya,” Chhabra, who is concurrently the Indian ambassador to Somalia, said.

Between them, these medical tourists spend some USD100 million annually.

Kenya spends USD482 million annually to import drugs, mainly from India.

“This opens up a window of opportunity for pharma companies keen to invest in Kenya,” said Chhabra, who has been in office since last November.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has often invited Indian firms to set up manufacturing units in this country and make it a regional distribution hub for generic drugs.

The establishment of a cancer hospital, the first India-Japan collaboration in Kenya, has been announced at the highest level and discussions are underway to speedily take this forward. India has offered to connect the leading hospitals of Kenya through eArogya Bharti telemedicine network. It will help in training of medical professionals across the country.

Chhabra noted that affordable healthcare is an element in the “big four” agenda that Kenyan government has rolled out to take the country on a development path. This offers several trade and investment opportunities to Indian companies, Chhabra said, adding that two lines of credit amounting to USD45 million have already been extended to the East African nation.

“The government of Kenya has rolled out its ebig four’ agenda - food security, affordable housing, manufacturing and affordable healthcare, to take the country on a development path to improve the lives of its citizens,” Chhabra said.

The objectives set out in the agenda offer immense trade opportunities for Indian companies to invest in Kenya, he said.