DOT exec: Medical facilities need to get int’l accreditation

Cebu’s acclaimed medical universities and graduates present a huge potential for medical tourism, according to the Department of Tourism (DOT).

But in order to tap into the market of tourists heading to other countries to get medical check-ups and operations, DOT Assistant Secretary Roberto Alabado III said hospitals and clinics in Cebu should secure certifications from international and independent accreditors.

“We have internationally renowned medical schools and universities producing doctors, dentists, nurses and other medical related professions. Many of our doctors and nurses have international training and exposure,” he said about Cebu as a hub for medical tourism.

The province is also naturally attractive to tourists as it has the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) which will be opening its new Terminal 2 on July 1.

At the same time, Cebu’s tourist spots are naturally a setting for wellness among foreigners, with its beaches and mountains.

Alabado, who is the DOT’s director for medical travel and wellness tourism, said all these factors make Cebu a very potent provider of medical and wellness tourism which is only recently being aggressively promoted by the DOT.

“We can always say we are world-class. But says who? Tayo? (Us?) No. There has to be an international accreditation system to say that you are of international standard. That is the problem I have now,” he said.

“We have very good clinics and hospitals and we encourage them to be internationally accredited. This is so that the DOT can market you outside. If we don’t have that, there is a question of quality,” he added.

Based on DOT’s records, there are only five facilities in the country that are accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI), a “recognized leader in international health care accreditation.” Most of these facilities are in Manila.

In Cebu, there is only one internationally accredited hospital and this is Cebu Doctors University Hospital, according to Alabado. But they are not accredited by JCI, but by another agency based in the UK.

In comparison, other neighboring countries in Southeast Asia have much more accredited facilities. In Thailand, there are 64 JCI-accredited medical facilities. Other countries with JCI-accredited facilities are India (38), Singapore (23), and Malaysia (13).

Alabado admitted though that most medical facilities in Cebu and the rest of the country are hesitant in investing expensively to get accredited.

He estimated that it would cost up to P10 million to pay for the cost of accreditation. This includes flying in the inspectors, the processes, and the needed upgrading.

Nonetheless, he encouraged medical facilities to consider this as the DOT is expected to continue promoting the country as a destination for medical tourism.

At the same time, he said resorts and hotels should also invest on wellness, including treatments, facilities, services and personnel.

The DOT targets Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Singapore and Australia as markets for medical tourism in the Philippines. Tourists visiting Cebu like Koreans, Japanese, Americans, and Taiwanese are also possible markets.

In these countries, Alabado said healthcare services are much more expensive that is why they consider going to other countries to avail of these services.

These include executive check-up, cardiology, minimally invasive surgery, orthopedics, ophthalmology, aesthetics and cosmetics.

Alabado said the Philippines has some of the best cardiologists who are trained in the US. The use of robotics for minimally invasive surgeries in the country is also a plus factor.

In terms of dentistry, he said the country has around 30,000 dentists that are exposed to international training. But he said clinics have to be upgraded to meet international standards.

Getting dental braces in the Philippines is also cheaper at only P30,000 to P50,000 while in the US, it can cost up to P150,000. This is why some balikbayans come to the Philippines just to get braces.

Although the medical travel and wellness tourism office of the DOT has been there since five years ago, Alabado said it was only around four months ago when they started to relaunch the campaign.

“There is a very large market, with a global estimate of $22 billion. There is money on this,” he said.

The DOT is forming a technical working group that will be doing local consultations in the coming months to promote medical travel and wellness tourism.

Alabado said they will also be joining international events, familiarization tours, and will be launching a brand by the end of the year for this thrust.