India’s medical tourism gets Africans’attention
非洲关注印度的医疗旅游
Many lured byaffordable treatment, state-of-the art equipment, top-notch doctors andfollow-up
care
许多人被吸引，是因为那里有价格合适的治疗方案，先进的医疗设备，一流的医生和随访护理。
Nagged by a sharp back pain three years
ago, Abidemi Ogbonna from Lagos, Nigeria, decided to visit a nearby hospital
called Apollo. Thinking it was just a minor problem, she was shocked when her
physician informed her that she urgently needed a kidney transplant.The procedure could not be performed locally, her doctor
told her. Flying to India was her best chance of a successful operation. Ms.Ogbonna’s middle-class family could afford the expenses, and so immediate
arrangements were made for her visa.
三年前，受背部剧痛的困扰，尼日利亚拉各斯的Abidemi Ogbonna决定到附近的做阿波罗医院就医。刚开始她认为这是一个小问题，没想到她的医生告知她需要立即做肾脏移植手术。但当地没法完成这种手术，她的医生告诉她，最好去印度做手术。Ogbonna的中产家庭可以承受费用，因此她立即着手办签证。
The Apollo
Hospital in Nigeria scheduled a surgery date with its counterpart in India,
helped secure Ms. Ogbonna’s visa, and booked her flight and accommodation in
India. All she needed to do was pay the bill. Once she did, she took the next
flight and made the long journey to save her life. She was accompanied by her
mother.
尼日利亚的阿波罗医院可以联系它在印度的合作医院预约手术日期，帮助Ogbonna小姐办好签证，订好机票和印度的住宿。她唯一需要做的就是付钱。一旦付钱，她就可以立即坐长途飞机前往印度挽救自己的生命。她母亲随同前往。
Ms. Ogbonna’s story is typical of
hundreds of Africans who travel outside of their home countries for medical
attention.
India is increasingly becoming popular
with Africans seeking medical treatment overseas, because of its more
affordable, state-of-the-art equipment and its highly skilled doctors. Ms.Ogbonna’s other options were the US and theUK; however, health care there is extremely expensive and getting visas tothose countries is a nightmare, unlike with India, where visas are issuedwithin a week and treatment is comparatively cheap.
Ogbonna小姐的故事是许许多多非洲人的故事之一，他们都离开祖国求医问药。随着非洲人寻医海外人数的增长，印度越来越受欢迎，因为印度医疗费用价格合适，又有一流的医疗设备和技艺精湛的医生。Ogbonna小姐也可以选择美国或者英国；然而，那里的健康保健费用极高，并且想要得到签证极难，不像印度，签证一周之内可以办好，费用又相当低。
State of health
care in Africa
非洲的国家医疗保健
The Global Health WorkforceAlliance, which advocates forsolutions for countries that lack adequate health care systems, said in its2015 report that sub-Saharan Africa was facing a severe shortage of health careprofessionals and lacked adequate health care coverage for those in need ofmedical treatment. This is jarring news to a continent that carries a largedisease burden, including the world’s highest rates of communicable diseasessuch as malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, among others. According to medicaljournalBMJ, “Africa experiences 24% of the global burden of disease,yet it has only 2% of the global supply of doctors and less than 1% ofexpenditures on global health.”
全球卫生人力联盟，是一个提倡为缺乏足够医疗保健系统的国家提供解决方案的组织机构。在它2015年的年报中提到撒哈拉沙漠以南的非洲极度缺乏医疗保健专业人员，同时医疗保健覆盖面也不足以全面覆盖有需求的人口。对于有着沉重疾病负担的非洲大陆来说，这是一个令人震惊的消息，因为这里的传染病比例世界最高，比如疟疾，肺结核和艾滋病。根据医学期刊-英国医学期刊的报道，“非洲的疾病占全球24%，但非洲只拥有全球2%的医生，医疗开支只占全球的1%”。
Health care systems in many Africancountries are inadequately funded. For example, Nigeria, which is one of Africa’srichest countries with a national income of $594,257 billion (before the recentcurrency depreciation), spends only 4.6% on health care.
非洲许多国家的医疗保健系统没有足够的资金支持。比如尼日利亚是非洲最有钱的国家之一，国民收入有594.257万亿美国（最近的货币贬值之前），但在医疗保健的投入只有4.6%。
About 40,000 Nigerians visited India in2015, half of them for medical reasons, such as transplant surgery, jointreplacement and dental surgery, among other procedures, according to the Indianhigh commissioner to Nigeria, Ajjampur Ghanshyam.
尼日利亚的印度高级专员Ajjampur Ghanshyam说，2015年有大约4万名尼日利亚人到访印度，其中一半是为了求医，比如为了移植手术，关节置换手术和口腔外科手术。
But why are Africans seeking medicalcare in India?
那为什么非洲人选择到印度就医呢？
Why India?
为什么是印度？
Since the 1990s India has been flauntedas a global leader in “medical tourism,” defined as the travel of people to aplace other than where they normally reside for the purpose of obtainingmedical treatment in that country.
从1990年开始，印度就吹嘘自己是全球医疗旅游的领导者。医疗旅游的定义是某国人到另外一个国家求医而不在本国求医的旅行。
India boasts highly qualified doctorsand state-of-the-art equipment, and the treatments are approved by the WorldHealth Organization (WHO) and the US Food and Drug Administration. In additionto quality medical services provided by its hospitals and doctors, patients goto India because medical costs are a lot cheaper compared with the US and UK.
印度自称有技艺精湛的医生，有一流的医疗设备，并且治疗是经过国际卫生组织、美国食品药品管理局批准的。除了优质的医疗服务之外，患者去印度也是因为和美国、英国相比费用便宜很多。
For example, akidney transplant in India costs about $13,000, while the same procedure willcost up to $300,000 in the US.
比如，肾脏移植手术在印度花费1.3万美元，而相同的手术在美国花费30万美元。
“The cost of a kidney transplantsurgery with blood-related donor is between $13,000 and $16,000,” says Dr.Dheeraj Bojwani, the director of Forerunners Healthcare Consultants, one of theleading medical value providers in India, which is associated with tophospitals and surgeons in the country.
印度主要的医疗供应商之一，先驱医疗保健咨询机构，提供顶级的医院和医生资源，它的主任Dheeraj Bojwani医生说，带血液供者的肾脏移植手术花费1.3万-1.6万美元，
Dr. Bojwani toldAfrica Renewal via e-mail that the $13,000 kidney transplant package includespreoperative medical checkups, consultations and follow-up, surgery andsurgeon’s fees, anesthetist’s fees and drugs.
Bojwani医生通过邮件告知非洲振兴报，1.3万美元的肾脏移植手术套餐包含外科手术前的医学检查，咨询和随访，手术和外科医生的费用，麻醉师的费用和药费。
The package also
includes the patient’s stay in the hospital (in an air-conditioned deluxe room
with TV, cable, and phone); food for the entire duration of the patient’s stay
in hospital; airport pickup and drop-off; andboardfor one accompanying attendant.
套餐也包括患者在医院的房间（带空调、电视、发报机和电话的豪华客房），在医院期间所有的食物，接送机服务，一名陪护的饮食费用。
Many patients from Africa prefer ApolloHospital, which is headquartered in Chennai in India’s state of Tamil Nadu.With more than 60 locations throughout India, it has its own health insurancescheme and has established partnerships with 10 international insurancecompanies that assist patients to cover medical costs.
许多非洲的患者喜欢阿波罗医院，它的总部在泰米尔德邦的金奈。在印度有60家分院，它有自己的医疗保险体制，并和全球10家保险公司建立伙伴关系，帮助患者支付医疗费用。
On the cost of drugs, India producesgeneric pharmaceuticals for a fraction of the price in the West. For example,Cipla, a multinational Indian pharmaceutical company, cut the price of HIV/AIDSantiretroviral drugs to below a dollar a day. This brought the cost ofexpensive antiretroviral medications down from about $12,000 to no more than$365 per year.
在药品价格方面，印度生产和西方类似的药物但是药品只有西方的小部分。比如西普拉是一家跨国的印度制药公司，能把艾滋病抗逆转录病毒药物的价格砍到每天小于1美金。把昂贵的抗逆转录病毒的药物从每年1.2万美金砍到了每年不超过365美金。
Besides, the Indian government is
providing additional incentives to attract foreign patients. These incentivescapitalize onthe country’s “exotic” appeal, and include tourism packages allowing patientsto bring along a companion for a discounted travel cost to sightsee landmarkssuch as the Taj Mahal.
除此之外，印度政府为了吸引外国患者提供了额外的好处。这些好处是利用了异域风情，为随同陪伴的人员提供去印度地标性景点比如泰姬陵的打折观光套餐。
For English-speaking Africans such asMs. Ogbonna, language is not a barrier, as English is the lingua franca inIndia. And for those seeking forms of treatment other than surgery, India ishome to alternative treatments such as Ayurveda, a plant-based therapy thatuses herbs, breathing exercises, diet changes, meditation and stretching forhealing.
对于像Ogbonna小姐这样会英语的非洲人来说，语言不是障碍，因为英语是印度的通用语言。对于那些寻求其他疗法而不是外科手术的人来说，印度是寻求稀奇古怪疗法的不二选择，比如印度韦达养生学，是以植物为本的疗法，会用到草药、吐纳练习、饮食调整、冥想和康复拉伸。
Follow-up care and
sustainability
随访护理和可持续性
Ms. Ogbonna has recently returned toher home in Lagos where she is recuperating and where she spoke toAfrica
Renewalby phone. Doctors in India advised her to visit Apollo Hospital inNigeria for a follow-up. But she fears that because of a lack of equipment, herLagos doctor may not be able to provide the full post-surgery care that shedesires.Follow-up visits to India maynot be possible for kidney transplant patients who have relapsed and who mayneed to be hospitalized in a matter of minutes, considering the time needed toplan the journey (at least five days to get a visa) and the subsequent flightcosts.
非洲振兴的记者电话联系了Ogbonna小姐，近期她已经返回拉各斯的家中，目前正在康复中。印度的医生建议她去尼日利亚的阿波罗医院进行随访护理。但是她比较害怕，因为那里设备不足，她在拉各斯的医生可能没能力提供她所需的术后护理。而对于肾脏移植的患者来说，到印度做随访护理是不可能的，因为考虑到计划旅行所需的时间（拿到签证至少5天）和随之而来的机票费用，他们分分钟就可能会复发而住院。
Toaddressthese issues, the Indian governmentestablished the Focus Africa Programme and partnered with the African Union toset up the Pan African e-Network to ensure continuity care for patients.
为了解决这些问题，印度政府建立了聚焦非洲计划，并和非盟合作建立‘非洲盘电子网络’来保证患者的持续护理。
Established in 2002, the Focus AfricaProgramme facilitates India’s trading with several African countries, includingEgypt, Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa, in affordable pharmaceuticals (inaddition to other trade items) so that they become easily accessible on thecontinent.
始于2002年的聚焦非洲计划促进了印度和一些非洲国家在负担得起的药物之间的交易（除了其他交易项目），这些国家包括埃及、尼日利亚、肯尼亚和南非，这样印度可以很容易的进入非洲大陆。
The Pan-African e-Network promotestele-education and tele-medicine to ensure continuity of care for Africanpatients treated in India. Tele-education allows one to receive lessons over anInternet connection or video, while tele-medicine specialises in diagnosing andproviding health care from remote locations over a telecommunications device.Such a system allows a patient to access care through teaching hospitals inAfrica that are connected to sister hospitals in India.
非洲盘电子网络促进了远程教育和远程医疗，保证了在印度就医的非洲患者的后续治疗。远程教育可以让人们通过网络或者视频上课，而远程医疗专门用于诊断和提供医疗保健服务，这种医疗服务即便是偏远地区也可以通过通讯装置得到。这种系统允许患者通过与印度有联络的非洲医学院获得医疗服务。
Indian health care firms are also taking
steps to create joint ventures with hospitals in Africa. At the moment they areinvesting in Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mauritius and Mozambique.
印度的卫生保健公司也在着手与非洲的医院建立合资公司。现在，他们正在埃及、赛尔俄比亚、肯尼亚、毛里求斯和莫桑比克进行投资。
South Africa
南非
Meanwhile, SouthAfrica has been making medical advances, with statistics showing that in 2012,between 300,000 and 350,000 tourists from all around Africa travelled to SouthAfrica for medical treatment. In addition to shorter travel times than India,South Africa advertises the added allure of safaris and spas.
同时，南非的医疗也在进步，2012年的统计数据显示，非洲大约30万-35万的观光者到南非是为了治病。除了距离比印度近之外，南非还有额外的游猎和spa。
African travellers
coming to South Africa for medical treatments do so less for cost savings and
more because of South Africa’s advanced infrastructure and medical technology,
as well as its doctors, whose skills areon par
withinternational standards.
那些为了治病去南非的人，并不能省多少钱，他们更多的是看中南非先进的基础设施和医疗技术，当然还有那些拥有国际水平的医生。
For Europeans and
travellers from the Americas and Asia, South Africa offers an affordable
alternative for many cosmetic procedures, thanks tothe weak rand. For example, a breast augmentation procedure that costs$8,000 in the UK would cost about $3,600 in South Africa, according to MedicalTourism SA, a consultancy firm that offers total health care information formedical travellers.
对于那些来自欧洲、美国和亚洲的人来说，南非提供了价格合理的整容手术。‘南非医疗旅游’是一家为医疗旅游者提供全面卫生保健信息的咨询公司，据他们说，在英国做隆胸手术需要花费8000美元，而在南非是3600美元，
American patientswho pay about $12,400 for in vitro fertilisation, a procedure that helps awoman become pregnant, can expect to pay a third of that in South Africa.
美国患者做试管婴儿需要花费1.24万美金，而南非的价格是前者的1/3.
It is for this
reason that the number of African medical tourists going to South Africa by air
has increased by 54% in the past three years to 10,477 asof 2015, notes Seye Abimbola in a blog for the African Development Bank.
Seye Abimbola在非洲发展银行的博客上说，正因为如此，过去三年，乘飞机到南非的非洲医疗旅游者人数增加了54%，达到2015年的1.0477万人次。
Going forward
展望
While medicaltourism will continue as people shop around for prices and countries vie toimprove their offerings, solving the health system challenges in Africa willlikely reduce the amount spent on medical tourism. In turn, savings frommedical tourism can be used to finance or subsidise health insurance for thepoor.
医疗旅游会持续，因为人们会到处进行性价比的比较，而解决非洲医疗系统挑战可能会减少医疗旅游。反之，医疗旅游省下来的钱可以用来资助穷人的医疗保险。
Going forward,Africa should create regional and national medical hubs, as well as tap intopharmaceutical markets in order to produce and distribute generic drugs thatwill reduce dependence on overseas countries for medical treatment. Thoughoffshore health care comes with many benefits, critics say it is notsustainable and it does not necessarily help African economies.
展望未来，非洲应该建立地区性的和全国性的医疗枢纽，也应该接轨药品市场，这样才能生产销售类药物，减少对海外医疗的依赖。评论家说，虽然海外医疗有很多好处，但是这不可持续，而且也帮不了非洲的经济。
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