PHILIPPINES SECOND CITY SHOWCASES ITS MEDICAL TOURISM CREDENTIALS

Cebu set to be Asia's top medical tourism destination

The Cebu Health and Wellness Council (CHWC) plans to position Cebu Province as a 'world-class destination for medical destination for medical and wellness tourism in Asia 2010.'

Members of CHWC, particularly those offering hospital and dental services, observed a 'steady flow' of inquiries and walk-in patients long before they have formally organized themselves as a group.

By Eddie Barrita

CEBU PUSHING ITS MEDICAL TOURISM BENEFITS

Cebu set to be Asia's top medical tourism destination

By Eddie Barrita

CEBU CITY, June 27

The Cebu Health and Wellness Council (CHWC) plans to position Cebu Province as a 'world-class destination for medical destination for medical and wellness tourism in Asia 2010.'

Members of CHWC, particularly those offering hospital and dental services, observed a 'steady flow' of inquiries and walk-in patients long before they have formally organized themselves as a group.

They said various nationalities have made different inquiries about various services, such as executive check-ups, heart surgery, organ transplants and cosmetology.

The Cebu Doctors' University Hospital and Perpetual Succour Hospital, both in Cebu City, have reported having accommodated European, American and Japanese patients.

But Cebu will have to compete with long-established medical tourism areas in Asia, such as India, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong. CHWC said it will take the lead in positioning the province as the 'ultimate destination for quality medical and wellness tourism.

Medical tourism involves people traveling to other places to obtain medical, dental and surgical care while enjoying the areas' other attractions.

CHWC chairman Oscar Tuason, also administrator of Cebu Doctors' University Hospital, said medical tourism revenues reached 40 billion dollars in 2000 in Asia alone.

In 2006, Asia posted about 120 billion dollars in revenues from medical tourism. The sector has a projected annual growth rate of 20 percent.

Tuason, in his presentation during the Tourism Congress at the Cebu International Convention Center, said Thailand recently earned 470 million dollars from 600,000 nationalities from the United States, United Kingdom and the Middle East who underwent cosmetic surgery, dental treatment, eye surgery, kidney dialysis and kidney transplants from various Thai medical institutions.

He said foreign patients prefer medical treatment outside their home country due to lower costs.

He cited heart valve replacement as example. The procedure can cost a patient 120,000 dollars in the US, compared to 9,000 dollars in India, 10,500 dollars in Thailand and 13,000 dollars in Singapore.

Tuason said foreigners can save much more if they come to Cebu. He said a coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG), which treats the hardening of the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle, costs about 18,000 dollars in Cebu but 100,000 dollars in the US.

'Even if a patient pays about 3,000 dollars for air travel, 625 dollars for a five-day hotel accommodation, 500 dollars for meals, 100 dollars for ground transportation and another 100 dollars for other needs, he will only spend about 22,325 dollars in Cebu,' he said.

CHWC members said Cebu has good potentials to be a major player in medical tourism. Aside from lower costs, the country's hospitals are well-equipped and have competent doctors while Filipinos are 'excellent caregivers.'

Tuason said while Cebu is not putting much emphasis on kidney transplants after the Department of Health passed a memorandum that limits the number of foreigners who can avail themselves of it, Cebu can still offer other medical services, such as cardiac surgery, orthopedic surgery and executive checkups.

CHCW is finalizing its registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Once finalized, its members - hospitals, dental services, spas, travel and tour operators, Department of Health, Department of Tourism, and Department of Trade and Industry - will become part of the health and wellness cluster of the Philippine Exporters (Balita Pinoy - Philippine News * Analysis)