Philippines 'pushing to the forefront of medical tourism'

25-Apr-2007

Patients seeking treatment abroad, known as medical tourism, have increasingly been turning to the Philippines for its affordable but state-of-the-art health services.

Due to the rising costs of health treatment in the west and long waiting periods for surgery, more people are turning to the option of obtaining health care abroad.

The dropping prices of air flight travel and possibility of combining treatment with a holiday has also made medical tourism a more attractive option.

"Modern medical technology is no longer exclusive to industrialised countries," said former Philippine health secretary Dr Alfredo Bengzon, CEO of The Medical City (TMC) in Metro Manila to Philippine News.

"A tourist in the Philippines is extended the warmth, hospitality, care, and personalised service that the country is renowned [for] the world over, especially including Filipino nurses."

The Philippines have become one of the leading institutions for medical tourism thanks to their excellent facilities and location.

So popular has the Philippines become that the country's medical directors and government officials are to meet in California in early May of this year to discuss the health tourism industry and how to effectively promote it.