Medical Tourism Outflows from West Africa to India and Turkey: A Scoping Review of Implications for Health System Strengthening in Senegal

This scoping review maps the evidence on the implications of medical tourism outflows from West Africa to India and Turkey for health system strengthening in Senegal. The phenomenon, whereby patients seek specialised care abroad, is driven by perceived deficits in domestic high-end diagnostic and tertiary services. This raises critical questions regarding financial resource leakage and potential systemic impacts. The objective was to synthesise existing literature on the drivers, financial consequences, and broader health system effects of this patient mobility. Adhering to the Arksey and O’Malley framework and PRISMA-ScR guidance, a systematic search of academic databases (e.g., PubMed, Scopus) and grey literature was conducted for publications between 2010 and 2023. Key search terms included ‘medical tourism’, ‘Senegal’, ‘West Africa’, ‘India’, ‘Turkey’, and ‘health system’. Following screening against explicit inclusion criteria, data from selected sources were charted and analysed thematically. Findings indicate that alongside quality and cost considerations, gaps in specialised domestic capacity are primary drivers. Financially, the outflow constitutes significant private expenditure leakage, potentially diverting resources from local investment. However, identified evidence also suggests a potential catalytic effect, where returning patients and transnational professional networks may stimulate demand for higher standards, possibly incentivising private sector development and policy attention. The review concludes that medical tourism presents a complex duality: it underscores specific service gaps and risks undermining financial sustainability, yet may also act as an indirect catalyst for quality improvement and strategic investment in targeted specialties. This duality necessitates evidence-informed policy to mitigate risks and harness potential positive feedback for systemic strengthening.