Air Tanzania takes aim at Uganda-India medical travel

July 22, 2024 in Travel & Tourism by Editor

Flag carrier Air Tanzania has formally entered the Uganda-India medical travel market, partnering with Mumbai-based Kokilaben Ambani Hospital, to offer special packages for travellers seeking medical attention in India.

Speaking in Dar es Salaam on July 16, Patrick Ndekana, ATCL’s Director Commercial, and David Mwakapanda, the CEO of Mumbai Healthcare Services, announced a special package that covers the cost of travel, hospital accommodation and medical screening and consultancy including advanced PET-CT scans (Positron Emission Tomography-Computed Tomography scan for investigations into cancer.

“From July 16 to October 16, 2024, Air Tanzania, partnering with Kokilaben Hospital, will offer an extensive health screening package at significantly reduced rates for passengers traveling from Nairobi, Entebbe, and Dar es Salaam to Mumbai for medical purposes,” Ndekana revealed.

The discounted package -USD 1055, includes return tickets from Dar es Salaam, Nairobi, and Entebbe to Mumbai, visa arrangements, airport pickup and drop-off services at Mumbai airport, hospital accommodation for patients and their attendants, consultations with an oncologist and PET-CT investigations.

PET-CET scan is a procedure that combines the pictures from a positron emission tomography (PET) scan and a computed tomography (CT) scan. The PET and CT scans are done at the same time with the same machine. The combined scans give more detailed pictures of areas inside the body than either scan can give on its own. A PET-CT scan is typically used to help diagnose disease, such as cancer, plan treatment, or find out how well treatment is working.

“With this collaboration, we reaffirm our commitment to improving healthcare services and ensuring advanced medical diagnostics are accessible to everyone in the region,” Mwakapanda said.

Air Tanzania flies 4 times a week from Entebbe t0 Dar es Salaam. Three of these flights will dovetail with departures to Mumbai on Sunday, Monday and Friday with a 2-hour transit time in Dar es Salaam on the outbound leg.

The carrier’s Country Manager for Uganda Khalifan Lugendo explained that this campaign is aimed at individuals seeking early diagnosis of cancer as well as patients undergoing cancer treatment in their country, to assess the treatment response and metastasis of cancer (cancer spreading to other organs.

“This package is specifically designed for East African countries, where at present PET CT machines are scarce and patients have to endure long waiting times, for diagnosis,” he added.

While numbers were not immediately available, India is a popular medical tourism destination for African because of proximity, the existence of advanced treatment options and skills, at affordable cost.