History of Medical Tourism in the Philippines

Philippines had an Initial head start on Medical Tourism

Via Business Mirror:  Although the Philippine government only started promoting medical tourism in 2006, Philippine hospitals have been receiving foreign patients for over three decades now. There was a time when some Philippine hospitals were considered the best in the region, with people from as far as the US seeking medical treatment here.

When Imelda Marcos put up the Philippine Heart Center in 1975, it became an important center for cardiac care in the Asia-Pacific region because of its foreign-trained medical personnel, state-of-the-art facilities, and advanced medical care and research. The Heart Center was at the forefront of developing bio-prosthetic valves and prototype medical equipment. It was a trailblazer in coronary angioplasty in the region.

Medical tourism in the Philippines

Although foreign nationals have been coming to the Philippines for medical treatment as early as the 1970s, medical tourism as a government program only took off in 2006 when the Departments of Health, Tourism, Foreign Affairs, and Trade and Industry identified the Health and Wellness Services Program as one of their flagship programs.

The Philippine Medical Tourism Program has four domains: full hospital care and treatment; specialty clinics (e.g., eye, dental, and cosmetic services); wellness and spa centers; and retirement and long-term care for the elderly.

According to the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, cataract surgery costs $950 in Thailand, $1,424 in the Philippines, and $1,014 in Malaysia. Liposuction in the Philippines costs $1,400. Patients in Thailand have to spend $1,365 only for the same procedure.

Total knee replacement surgery is more expensive in the Philippines at $5,639, compared to $5,500 in Thailand and $4,342 in Malaysia. India boasts that its medical rates are 40% to 60% lower than the rates in the US and UK.

Philippine medical professionals are also fluent in English, which reduces the possibility of error and misunderstanding between doctor and foreign patient. Medical professionals in the country, particularly the nurses, are known for their hospitality, skills, and excellent patient care, which makes them in demand in foreign hospitals abroad.  Continue reading here http://www.bworldonline.com/main/content.php?id=4652