Editor, RE: “Medical tourism should be the next area of interest” (The New Times, August 24). We should be able to filter our goals and roll-out medium- and long-term investments. Rwanda has a healing weather and environment than the drugs would do. I have personally travelled to some parts of Rwanda where any sick person would recover immediately after a mere stroll. Look at Mulindi, Huye, the then Byumba and Ruhengeri—these places deserve multi-million hospitals that target international in-patients and out-patients. Rubavu and Rusizi are so adorable they can heal the sick with fresh air and cold weather, as well as serene and beautiful scenery. What is important is to figure out which classes of hospitals are needed in these places and long-term investments through public-private partnerships. Where no private investors have shown interest to invest, then the Government of Rwanda, as it has always done, should take the risk and do so. I am sure, as always, it will be vindicated. When we needed hotels for our tourists, foreign economists predicted doom, but then under the stewardship of President Kagame, the country built the first five-star hotel and it flourished. When we felt we could not attract more tourists with no dependable means of transport, the government invested in RwandAir and it is now fast becoming a continental brand. You can go on and on... Yulian
