Manila Bulletin, 18 May 2010

Over the last few years, a new trend in the healthcare industry known as Medical Tourism has gained popularity among highly industrialized countries. Patients from advanced countries seek medical care abroad for various reasons, from reduced costs to the availability of world-class medical facilities and professionals and the much more personal care received from healthcare professionals in other countries.

The Philippines has become a significant figure in this industry in the last few years. The most recent projection is that the Philippine medical tourism industry will become a $3-billion industry by 2015, with an average of around 200,000 foreign patients expected to come to the Philippines every year.

The promotion of the medical tourism industry started in 2006 when President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo issued Executive Order 372 which aims to develop the Philippines' communication, logistics, and health and wellness industries. Since then, the Philippines has steadily moved up in the regional market with the continuous renovation and upgrading of its hospitals to meet international standards.

In the Central Philippines tourism super-region, there are now 44 hospitals and health facilities accredited for medical tourism by the Department of Health (DoH) and the Department of Tourism (DoT). Three of these medical facilities have been accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI), an international organization providing accreditation for hospitals and other healthcare facilities worldwide.

With our state-of-the-art facilities in many hospitals, an expanding pool of competent health care professionals with good English communication skills, reasonably priced medical services, and the innate hospitality of Filipinos, we are bound to be one of the major players of the expanding global medical tourism industry.