Politicians and officials in the Philippines have boasted about the influx of medical tourists, quoting barely believable figures of 600,000 plus. This bravado may have made them sound good, but has been counter-productive to organised development of the industry.
New legislation designed to boost tourism and medical tourism takes a more realistic view of the situation, and accepts talk must be replaced by action. The Implementing Rules and Regulation of the new Tourism Act or Republic Act 9593 is key to the attainment of the $3 billion revenue target from medical tourism by 2012.Ruy Moreno of the National Competitiveness Council (NCC), says that medical, health and wellness tourism could account for 20 to 25 percent of the $1 trillion tourism business, “But to attain our target, we just have to compete in terms of policy framework to support our competitiveness.”
The NCC estimates that medical and health tourism revenue in the country is between $200 and $300 million with no more than 100,000 medical tourists. NCC has an ambition to attract 200,000 medical tourists by 2012.Moreno stresses the need to come up with an IRR to the Tourism Act that will address all the issues that hamper competitiveness in the industry, by being able to provide the vision and the continuity in terms of policies and implementation. The country has suffered a drop in tourism revenue. Moreno comments,” We cannot be competitive in other sectors of tourism but we are in the medical tourism sector. This is our real advantage because we have good medical institutions and facilities coupled with good medical practitioners and professionals. Medical procedures are 20 to 30 percent cheaper than in other countries.”
Cebu has been positioning itself as a medical tourism hub in the country in the last two years, but although this bid still has to take off, it is at last showing some promise. Cebu hospitals offer advanced technology in performing laparoscopic surgery, laser eye surgery, dermatology and cosmetic surgery, dental implants and cosmetic dentistry. They also charge a lesser fee for these operations than other countries. Cebu Doctors’ University Hospital (CDUH) has a laser surgery centre offering at less than $1000 for both eyes, while abroad, it would cost about $2,500 for each eye. 25 percent of the centre’s patients are Europeans, 15 percent are Australian, five percent are Americans and another five percent are Asians.
Seeing the potential of Cebu to attract more foreign direct investments, the Cebu Investments Promotions Center (CIPC) will in 2010 spearhead a collaborative effort with private and public stakeholders to promote the province as the world's second home destination for the wealthy. The promotional programme will combine tourism and investment opportunities in Cebu, targeting foreign tourists and investors in the high-end market. Cebu’s long-term vision is to make it a second home destination for foreigners whether they come as a medical tourist, to do business, or invest in properties.
