THE Calayan Medical Group plans to expand its foothold in central and southern Philippines next year, starting with two or three more wellness centers in Cebu City.
Lalen Calayan, chief operating officer and business development manager, said they will initially focus their operations in Cebu.
“Cebu will be our home base. After this we will expand to other provinces in Visayas and Mindanao, and then Luzon,” she said.
The group is positioning Cebu as the “next reconstructive hub” in the region, after Korea.
“We’re still trying to remove the stigma against reconstructive surgery and the idea that we’re catering to only the elite,” she said.
The first Calayan Group wellness center in Cebu, located in Oakridge Business Center, gets “amazing foot traffic” despite its location, she added.
Reconstructive surgery has been the group’s most popular service since the center opened on June 8. Calayan said the bulk of their sales, or some 70 percent, comes from reconstructive surgery.
The remaining 30 percent comes from aesthetic procedures.
By the end of this year, she said they hope to have increased revenues by 30 percent.
From Cebu, the group plans to expand its operations to key cities such as Iloilo and Bacolod in the Visayas, and Davao and Cagayan de Oro in Mindanao.
Calayan said the additional wellness centers in Cebu will offer all the services that are available in the first Calayan Medical Group center located in Oakridge Business Park, except for those involving invasive surgery. She declined to reveal the locations of the new centers.
The group is also planning to introduce in December this year or in January next year some new services that will be the first of their kind in the Philippines.
“We cannot yet say what these procedures are, but they will be innovative and state-of-the-art aesthetic treatments,” Calayan said.
To tap medical tourism, the group is in talks to partner with some hotels and resorts, said Yuki Agvado, marketing director and head of Adprom department.
He said several hotels and potential investors have already approached them for possible partnerships.