By Mia A. Aznar
Thursday, March 10, 2011
THOUGH he has not yet succeeded in finding a hospital that he can partner with in Cebu, business tycoon Manuel Pangilinan said he will continue to search for other tertiary hospitals.
Pangilinan, president of Metro Pacific Investment Corp. (MPIC) which owns four hospitals, said his company will continue to look for opportunities in Cebu as it is
serious about investing in the medical sector in the province.
Last year, MPIC bought majority of Riverside Medical Center, said to be the largest hospital in Negros Occidental. It owns the Makati Medical Center, Cardinal Santos
Medical Center and Davao Doctors Hospital.
Pangilinan admitted that medical tourism is surrounded by complex issues, saying hospitals have to be world-class before clientele from abroad decide to get their medical services here.
To attract foreign patients, he said, they needed to get accreditation from international standardization organizations.
He also noted that payment mechanisms have allow tourists to easily pay for the service. He added that some tourists who have insurance coverage have problems availing of benefits as local facilities are not recognized by foreign companies.
He said such issues need to be solved before medical tourism can fully take off in the country.
Pangilinan said Cebu “stands out” as an alternative place to locate medical tourism.
In 2008, Pangilinan visited the Cebu City Medical Center and initially expressed interest to invest P1.5 billion for a hospital in Cebu.
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on March 10, 2011.
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