DOT urges tie-up of hospitals and international health firms

Department of Tourism (DOT-7) regional director Patria Aurora Roa has urged Cebu hospitals to immediately tie-up with international health insurance companies in order to accommodate the medical tourist market.

According to Roa, hospitals also have to apply in the accreditation scheme of the DOT, so that Cebu could take off as a premier destination for medical tourism.

"The problem now is, hospitals in Cebu can not accommodate the foreign patients because they can not honor the insurance coverage of a particular foreigner patient," Roa said.

Cebu-based hospitals must immediately link with insurance companies from the top country markets of Cebu like Korea, Japan, China, and even Europe.

Also, she said hospitals should also apply for accreditation with the DOT for medical tourism standard, so that works for attract medical tourists will be accelerated.

Although, there are several hospitals here that signified their interest to apply for DOT accreditation, Roa said "none so far has applied."

Medical tourism, which is growing in popularity in the West and is helping the economies of countries like Thailand, is a new concept that combines healthcare and tourism.

In Thailand alone, it earned around $280 million form treating 308,000 foreign patients. India on the other hand expects to earn at least $ 1 billion from healthcare tourism by 2012.

In a separate interview, Cebu Doctors Hospital Inc. chairman Potenciano Larrazabal, Jr. said that his hospital is conducting a feasibility study to construct an integrated healthcare facility to accommodate the market for medical tourism.

For her part, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Cebu provincial director Nelia F. Navarro, said Cebu is now ready to accommodate the medical tourism market, because the medical facilities and services are already world-class, with the growing number of specialty clinics.

However, one of the problems being looked at the availability of retirement village nearby Cebu's metropolitan district, wherein hospitals and specialty clinics are located.

Navarro said a multi-sectoral effort must be developed in order to get this particular high-yielding tourist market this involves the travel operators, hospitals, accommodation operators, and other health and wellness businesses.

Travel arrangements of the medical tourists are well planned and pre-arranged. This market she said would mind the cost of the package, as long as their needed services are met.

However, Roa reiterated that hospitals must act now, in linking with insurance companies from other countries, and get DOT accreditation as a "medical tourism" accredited hospital in the Philippines.

Reportedly, St. Luke's Hospital in Manila is already a five-star accredited hospital, which is well capable of accommodating wealthy tourists seeking medical services in tropical countries like the Philippines.