Grande Doctors Conference to address medical tourism

The second Grande Doctors Conference is scheduled to take place in September at Hotel Africana in Kampala.

The conference organized by the specialists association and the Uganda Medial Association will start on September 4th and run up to the 9th under the theme ‘Promoting Healthy Lives'.

Uganda Medical Association secretary general, Dr. Anthony Ekwaru Obuku, told New Vision that they had invited doctors from all the neighbouring East African countries to this year's conference.

He also confirmed that over 40 specialized Indian referral hospitals would showcase their latest medical technology.

"This conference started last year by all the medical doctors to seek a way forward on all the medical issues affecting the health sector. We need to help the government beyond the Ministry of Health where we are stakeholders. We want to support the Government agenda and help mobilize the communities," Obuku said.

He also noted that this time around they had invited Indian hospitals to come showcase their medical products and latest technology.

"We want our other partners and doctors in neighbouring countries to see what is out there. We want to bring the Indian medical technology to Uganda," Obuku said.

He urged the locals especially those who had been referred to India for a number of complicated illnesses like heart and kidney conditions and cancer among others to turn and interact with the doctors.

Sujit Gopal one of the key organizers of the conference and founder of the Indian Medical Tourism Destination told New Vision that some of the hospitals that had confirmed their attendance include Fortis, Continental, Me Dante, Lokmanya, Narayan, Gems.

"We believe in healthcare beyond borders and we have been creating platforms like this across many other countries and have done such exhibitions in Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kuwait, Oman and Canada among others," he said.

He described the Grande Doctors Conference as a platform to bring countries closer for a better healthier world, noting that the local doctors and specialists from India would help to diagnose and help the members of public understand the next course of action in fighting deteriorating health.

Gopal noted described the involvement of the Indian hospitals in the conference as the beginning and that they were looking forward to capacity building and transfer of technology which would be their primary outlook.