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Philippines wants to strengthen medical tourism
MANILA, Philippines — Executive checkups, dental procedures are some of the medical treatments the Philippines has to offer that could attract more health and wellness tourists into the country, an official of the Department of Tourism (DOT) said.
“In the case of medical tourism, we’ve identified the priority treatments where we feel the Philippines can become competitive in taking into consideration availability of our medical professionals and frontliners, price competitiveness, etc,” Tourism Undersecretary and spokesperson Benito Bengzon Jr. said.
Among these priority treatments include executive checkup opthalmology, aesthetics and dental, cardiology and minimally invasive surgery.
Bengzon said medical tourism falls under health and wellness tourism, one of the 10 products identified under the National Tourism Development Plan 2016 to 2022.
In line with the development of the medical tourism sector, Bengzon said the DOT continues to talk to hospitals providing the priority treatments.
“Some of them are already very aggressive in promoting abroad,” Bengzon said.
He said that some hospitals participate in the DOT’s roadshows abroad.
Tourism Assistant Secretary Roberto Alabado earlier said the Philippines is already a provider of medical services to some countries in the Pacific, noting the country’s cost-effective offerings.
“Their citizens come to the Philippines for medical purposes,” Alabado said.
“We have some of the most cost-effective medical checkups. Then we have dental tourism which is also fast growing. We have people coming from Australia just for their dental works,” he added.
Alabado also identified balikbayans from the US and Canada as another potential market for the country’s medical tourism offerings.
Based on a report from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), the Philippines ranks 24th among the top countries in inbound medical tourism spending, with spending totaling to $69 million in 2017.
The report emphasized that medical tourism has become an important niche market over recent years, supported by various government policies and private sector initiatives across the world.
“Countries have recognized the opportunities that medical tourism brings as a catalyst for social and economic development and its potential to support quality education, highly skilled workers, favorable visa policies, promotion of a country’s attractiveness, and well-developed infrastructure within a country,” the WTTC said.
“As more governments recognize these benefits and develop strategies and policies for this sub-sector, WTTC expects that with the right policies, support and regulation, medical tourism can continue to grow across developed and emerging economies,” it added.
Source: https://www.philstar.com/business/2019/12/09/1975361/philippines-wants-strengthen-medical-tourism#dHxWmeF2UTptwY3s.99