by Jonallier M. Perez
MEDICAL tourism is a US$40-billion industry worldwide annually. In Asia, countries such as Thailand, India and Singapore had already gained foothold in this booming industry. While Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok alone receives more than 350,000 foreign patients every year, the Philippines has yet to make great strides in it.
Well, decades ago India led the BPO industry in the world, with only 10% of the market left for the Philippines. Our country is now the undisputed leader in the BPO sector worldwide.
The primary reason why foreigners seek medical treatment in select countries in Asia is the comparatively lower cost of medical services. In the United States, for example, a coronary bypass surgery will cost an average American around US$50,000. At the current exchange rate, that is roughly PhP2.05 million. A similar procedure in the Philippines will cost only US$25,000 (PhP1.03 million). Lasik eye surgery costs US$3,000 per eye abroad, while eye centers in the Philippines charge only one-third of that amount.
Medical tourism is not entirely new to the Philippines. As early as the mid-‘70s, when the conjugal dictatorship built the Philippine Heart Center and Philippine Lung Center, many foreign patients flocked to Manila and sought medical treatments there. At the time, the quality of medical services and facilities were already at par with world standards. Medical practitioners even established residency and trainings in those two centers, just like what other Asian military students did at the Philippine Military Academy.
However, the Philippines never made serious attempts at developing the medical tourism industry then. It was only at the turn of the 21st century that the government recognized the vast potentials to increase revenues of medical facilities in the country. And that is long after Thailand and India already gained significant shares of the market.
Four major niches have to be established if we are to make the country the new hub of wellness and medical care in Asia. First is medical-surgical care, which includes regular medical procedures, women’s health care, dental care, optometric care and rehabilitative treatment. Traditional and alternative health care should focus on acupuncture, alternative massage therapies, herbal medicine, naturopathy and detoxification. The remaining niches are wellness (such as spas, health and wellness farms, hilot, etc.) and international retirement center and villages. When fully implemented, the development plan translates into increased income for tourism sub-sectors specializing in medical tourism and higher tourist traffic for the country. Instead of foreigners coming into the country primarily for our sun, sea and sand, others will soon follow in search of medical treatments at par with global standards at much lower cost.
The industry will also provide more and better opportunities for medical professionals who continue to go abroad in search of higher pay. Despite the noble objectives of the Doctors to the Barrio program then of the Health department, understandably, economics is still most basic. That’s your Maslow’s hierarchy of needs at work.
So, what makes us a potential new hub of wellness care in Asia? Of course, Filipinos are known for being polite and hospitable. These are the reasons why Filipino nurses sit well abroad. They bring human form and substance to a rather drab and impersonal atmosphere in many hospitals and clinics in the West. We have excellent English proficiency comfortably spoken by high quality medical labor force. Lest we forget, medical costs in the Philippines remain relatively competitive in the region.
Experts have identified a few constraints, however. Foremost is our medico-legal system and insurance reliability. The malpractice bill is still pending in Congress after the Philippine Medical Association exerted strong lobbying against it. Many government and private hospitals lack proper accreditation at par with international standards. The government should come up with a working seal-of-excellence merit system acceptable to the world medical community.
The goal is to institutionalize an incentive system that will encourage these medical and wellness centers to vie for such accreditation. In the process, medical facilities and services will be significantly enhanced.
What are at stake for our tour agencies and travel operators then? Imagine an organized group of Russians regularly coming to Davao City for teeth whitening with built in tours after the procedure? Just connect the dots.
