Philippines - Medical tourism must serve the poor, too’

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. reminded members of the Philippine Hospital Association not to leave out the millions of Filipinos in need of medical attention in their efforts to outdo their competitors in Asia in the fast evolving and growing arena of medical tourism, a press release from Congress said.

"Growth and development of medical tourism should never leave out the millions of Filipinos who, despite and perhaps because of their economic status, are the ones most in need of medical attention and care," Belmonte said.

Belmonte, in a keynote address before officers and members of the Hospital Association of the Philippines during its 62nd Annual National convention at the Manila Hotel Thursday, noted that "the immense potential of the medical tourism is readily apparent."

"Experts predict that this industry will breach the USD100-B mark by next year, with industry growth pegged at 20 percent to 30 percent annually, and around 17 percent in Asia alone," he said.

Countries like Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore have each established a niche market - Thailand for cosmetic surgery and sex change operations; and Singapore for high end treatment like cardiovascular and neurological surgery and stem cell therapy, the press release said.

"These three countries attracted over two million medical tourists in 2006-2007, earning over US$3B in treatment costs," Belmonte said.

Belmonte said he is confident that the growth of medical tourism in the country would translate into economic benefits in countries like the Philippines with surplus labor, higher tourism receipts, and greater revenue for government to use for infrastructure development and provision of social service for the Filipino people.

He cited local hospital collaborating and entering into joint ventures with their regional counterparts, the upgrading of medical facilities and equipment, and the beefing-up of specialization and expertise of local doctors “to give their competitors…a run for their money.”

The regional and global competition and development of medical tourism should boost quality in the country's medical infrastructure which, Belmonte said, should redound to the benefit of the people.

"There is a set of imperatives that cannot be overlooked in this evolutionary trend in hospitals – one that relates to the accessibility of medical to local residents, especially the poor and disadvantaged," he said.

Belmonte also cautioned against health worker brain drain from public to private medical institutions experienced in countries like Thailand.

"The more lucrative employment in private hospitals especially those that cater to medical tourism - is siphoning experienced medial health workers from government-run hospitals, creating an imbalance in the quality of health care provided within one jurisdiction," he said.

Noting the global rise in health care cost, Belmonted cautioned against some ill-effects of migration which facilitate the transmission of diseases and infections like SARS and HIV.

But the most important imperative that hospitals and every medical practitioner must address is "foremost, the guarantee of quality health care to everyone, without discrimination, and beyond that, special care for the less privileged and disadvantaged, Belmonte said.*

Daily Star

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