New heart centre to boost medical tourism in the Philippines

20-Oct-2006

The race to be the top medical tourist destination will get a new player shortly after a new Philippine Heart Centre will open in Quezon City, reports the Manila Standard.

The centre will be operational by February 2007 and expects to have a comprehensive care facility with extensive offices, parking and commercial area in the busy city.

Public Works Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. said: "Being the first to have a heart center in the continent, this project will boost medical tourism."

Currently, nearby Singapore and Thailand are vying for top medical tourism destination, but the new centre will make the Philippines a contender in the industry, and they are not afraid to say so.

"It provides enhanced, more accessible and affordable health care not only to the public, but to the entire country and nearby Asian regions as well," Mr Ebdane added.

The project will cost P$238 million in total and is financed by the Development Bank of the Philippines.