CEBU is strengthening its bid to become a leading medical tourism destination in the Visayas as private healthcare providers expand specialized services amid government efforts to position the Philippines as a regional healthcare hub.
The Department of Tourism (DOT) is targeting the country’s health and wellness industry to become a $16.3-billion sector by 2030, driven by growing demand for medical and wellness services.
The sector generated an estimated $5.5 billion (about P330 billion) in revenue in 2024, according to figures presented by the DOT during the 3rd International Health and Wellness Tourism Congress and reported by Esquire Philippines in June 2026.
Medical tourism contributed $1.26 billion (P75.6 billion), or 23 percent of total health and wellness revenue in 2024, ranking the Philippines as Southeast Asia’s third-largest medical tourism destination and 20th globally.
DOT Director for Health and Wellness Tourism Dr. Paulo Tugbang said medical tourism is projected to grow at a 12.2 percent compound annual growth rate, reaching $4 billion to $5 billion by 2034 and attracting about 200,000 international patients annually.
Healthcare providers in Cebu are investing in specialized facilities to capture a larger share of the growing market.
Singapore Cancer Center Inc. (SCCI) recently expanded its oncology services with an infusion and ambulatory treatment unit, an oncology pharmacy and a molecular laboratory at the AppleOne Medical Arts Building as it marked its first year of operations.
SCCI chairman Dr. Ellie May Villegas said the expansion would allow cancer patients from the Visayas and parts of Mindanao to access specialized diagnostics and treatment in Cebu instead of traveling to Metro Manila or overseas.
The center also became an accredited site for the Roche Access Program, enabling eligible patients to access selected oncology medicines through the pharmaceutical company’s patient support program.
Dr. Alex Alegrado, the facility’s chief financial officer, said the partnership aims to help reduce treatment costs for qualified patients.
Industry stakeholders said Cebu’s expanding network of specialty healthcare services, international airport, tourism infrastructure and competitive healthcare costs could strengthen its position as a medical tourism destination.
The Philippines also remains cost-competitive for medical procedures. A coronary bypass surgery costing about $100,000 in the United States can cost between $17,000 and $19,000 in the Philippines, according to the DOT. Cosmetic surgery accounts for about 35 percent of medical tourism procedures, followed by cardiology and oncology, while in-vitro fertilization is the fastest-growing segment.
Cebu’s healthcare sector is backed by a P1.3-billion government program to upgrade 16 provincial and district hospitals and deploy additional doctors and medical personnel to remote and island communities.
Industry stakeholders said Cebu would need further investments in specialty centers, laboratory services and digital health technologies to compete with established medical tourism destinations such as Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. / KOC