Philippines Boosting Country's Medical Tourism via Cheap Healthcare Packages

All Headline News

The Philippines Department of Tourism, in cooperation with the Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTTA) and The National Association of Independent Travel Agencies (NAITAS), recently unveiled its latest offering - cheap healthcare packages incorporating the benefits of medical tourism.  The Philippines, through the PTTA, has been aiming to offer cheap healthcare options to foreigners without compromising the quality of services.  According to Cynthia Carreon, Assistant Secretary for Sports and Wellness of the Department of Tourism in the Philippines, the country plans to market its medical tourism packages as cheaper than those offered by Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand’s premier healthcare facility, which recently purchased 40% of the shares of the Asian Hospital, one of the pioneering medical tourism centers in the Philippines.

How to Find the Best Medical Tourism Packages in the Philippines

The Philippines boasts of competent, Western trained, English speaking physicians in all the hospitals in the country.  With over 2,000 hospitals servicing the Philippines, finding a healthcare specialist to handle your medical needs should not be a problem.  Each hospital has a comprehensive physician directory that allows patients to pre-select their healthcare specialists.  Manila, alone, boasts160 hospitals, all offering competitively cheap healthcare options. According to Thelma Clemente, president of the Philippines Hospital Association, "We have efficient English-speaking staff who can give [the] tender, loving, health care that most foreign patients are looking for.” Tourists who avail of these medical tourism packages can also look forward to touring the Philippines’ popular beach resorts after completion of their medical treatment.

Source: Komfie Manalo, "Hospitals Are The Newest Tourist Destinations In The Philippines," All Headline News, November 21, 2006