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Wednesday, March 24, 2004
RP ready for medical tourism: new DOT chief
HEALTH CARE with leisure.
This is how the Department of Tourism (DOT) describes its new program aimed at positioning the country as a competitive health vacation destination in Asia, targeting both the wellness/spa and medical tourist markets.
Newly appointed Tourism Secretary Roberto Pagdanganan announced that under the Philippine Health Tourism Program (PHTP), the DOT and its partner agencies such as the Department of Health-Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care (DOH-PITAHC) and the Department of Energy (DOE) will offer cost-effective medical treatments combined with special itineraries that showcase some of the best tourist attractions.
In a statement, Pagda-nganan said the new program will be offered to tourists whose main purpose for visiting the Philippines is to undergo “minimally invasive medical procedures and treatments.”
Competitors
He said the Philippines is one of the few countries in Southeast Asia and in Asia to offer such specialized tour offerings with only Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and India being the other competitors.
The DOT, DOH-PITAHC and DOE have come up with rules and regulations for the accreditation of health establishments, wellness centers and hospitals in the country, using DOT’s standards for hotels as benchmark.
Currently, St. Luke’s Medical Center is the only hospital to meet these standards. “The application for accreditation of other hospitals such as the Asian Hospital in Alabang, Capitol Medical Center in Quezon City and Medical City in Mandaluyong City is underway,” the tourism chief said.
Through the efforts of the DOT, the 2004 Investment Priorities Plan also qualifies the development of medical tourism for investment incentives such as through reduced tariffs on the importation of hospital equipment.
Potential
The tourism chief said health holidays are significantly growing outside Europe and in other parts of the world.
“There would seem to be a huge potential to develop health tourism as a great come-on, since health and wellness using traditional healing methods, such as massage, healing and herbs are very much part of the Asian culture,” he said.
The country’s bid was reinforced during the state visit of President Arroyo to Bahrain last December when she signed a memorandum of understanding for tourism cooperation with the Bahraini Government, which expressed interest to send medical tourists to the Philippines.
This will be facilitated with the air services agreement forged between the Philippines and Bahrain.
Both documents were signed during the Bahrain visit with DOT Undersec-retary for Planning and Product Development Evelyn Pantig as a member of the delegation.
Pagdanganan said local and international sales missions and promotions are being lined up.
(March 24, 2004 issue)
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