Healthy Options

　　Phyllis Mwang’ombe，79， is a former kidneypatient who resides in Nairobi. She is one among manyKenyans who have received treatment from Chinese doctorsin recent years. Her high blood pressure condition damagedone of her kidneys and prompted her to get a transplantperformed locally， by a Chinese doctor.

　　“I could not afford the more than 300，000 shillings($3，482) [for the operation abroad]， which forced me toturn to well-wishers such as extended family members andfriends for financial donations. I visited a Chinese doctor [inKenya] who did not let me down，” she said.

　　Mwang’ombe said she is not financially stable anddepends a lot on her children and grandchildren for supportand she now feels healthier than before the transplant.

　　“Chinese doctors are good. They not only give you goodmedical care， but also they are friendly， talk well and they donot discriminate or stigmatize against you like some localdoctors. In fact， I was given a 35-percent discount for mytreatment. I also received a lot of respect that I would not getat any Kenyan clinic，” she said.

　　Mwang’ombe explained that for seven years before thetransplant， she had been receiving two dialysis treatmentsessions each week， at a cost of $100 per session. After thetransplant， her health costs are significantly more affordable.“I still get drugs that allow my new kidney to function well.I am happy and the drugs are working well. I receive themfrom a Chinese pharmacy here in Nairobi. Chinese services，including medical services， are very good in Kenya. Somepeople have a negative attitude toward Chinese productsand services， but not me，” she said.

　　China remains the single largest investor inAfrica， withmost of its investments funneled into infrastructure. Nowexperts say that healthcare will surpass infrastructure asthe largest single Chinese investment， most notablyin Kenya.

　　“Health care is very important to the country asthe economy continues to grow. When there is moremoney in the economy， people get sick more as theybecome less conscious of their health. For instance，they spend money eating unhealthy foods thatcause lifestyle diseases such as cancer， diabetesand many other ailments，” said Dr. William Maina，current Director of National AIDS & STI ControlProgram (NASCOP) and former head of theDepartment of Communicable Diseases in theKenyan Ministry of Health.

　　A growing number of Kenyans prefer Chinese doctors，because China’s medical system is perceived by manyKenyans as one the most advanced in the world. In fact， anumber of Kenyans go to China to get treatment as the waitingperiod to be treated by a Chinese doctor at home can bea lengthy process.

　　“One can wait very long to get treatment froma Chinesedoctor. The professionals [in Kenya] are few， but growing.The services are good and actually affordable. The doctorsusually serve patients on a first-come， first-served basis，”Maina said.

　　He added that there are more than 200，000 Kenyanswaiting for a kidney transplant. A kidney transplant from aprivate Kenyan hospital currently costs about 400，000 shillings($5，000) and the cost keeps increasing， as demand riseseach year. A similar transplant from a private Chinese doctorworking in Kenya costs about 200，000 shillings ($2，500)， butthe waiting list is long. The demand for those requiringtransplants increases by 2 percent every year， accordingto figures from the Kenyan Government.

　　Chinese investments in health carein Kenyacould even double as the country now looks East fornew markets and trade. China remains the fastestgrowing investor in the country so far， with a growthrate of 5 percent per year， according to the KenyaBureau of Statistics.

　　Kenya will likely see such investments reachup to $15 billion by 2020， according to GermanoMwabu， an economics lecturer at the Universityof Nairobi.

　　By Gitonga Njeru

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