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CEBU CITY, Philippines - A successful medical tourism industry in Cebu is expected to minimize the migration of doctors and nurses as higher compensation and better benefits await them.
With the creation of the Cebu Health and Wellness Council (CHWC), this dream is not far from reality, said CHWC president Oscar Tuason.
The CHWC is a coalition of private and public entities such as hospitals, spa and wellness centers, tour operators, hotels and resorts, the Department of Tourism, the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Health.
Tuason said the mandate of CHWC is to come up with a common set of guidelines and policies which would help push Cebu as a prime destination for medical tourism in 2010.
Tuason said based on initial discussions, hospitals are planning to dedicate another wing exclusive for medical tourism patients, who will be taken care of by topnotch doctors and nurses.
“That they will receive higher salaries is being considered although salary is lower than (those given by) foreign hospitals but at least, we keep them here,” he said.
Nurses may receive a pay higher than entry-level salary, which is between P8,000 to P10,500, said Tuason who is also the administrator of Cebu Doctors University Hospital.
Tuason said the three hospitals - Chong Hua, Cebu Doctors and Perpetual Succour - are capable of handling medical procedures such as heart bypass and cosmetic surgery.
“We have a group of specialists, surgeons and healthcare professionals who have specialized in the UK (United Kingdom) and the US (United States) and came back here to serve,” he told reporters during the 888 News Forum on Tuesday.
“We also have steady supply of competent paramedical graduates from different schools in Cebu. We are proud to be host to top medical schools in the country,” Tuason added.
Dr. Cora-Lou Kintanar, officer-in-charge of the Local Health Assistance Division of the Department of Health Central Visayas (DOH-7), said this is a welcome development especially that the healthcare system in the country has been “feeling the strain of the brain drain.”
Kintanar said making healthcare professionals stay is very crucial as hospitals are undergoing extra training for staff to ensure that foreign patients get the best services.
Tuason said Cebu can offer lower medical cost to patients compared to its counterparts in the UK and the US.
A heart bypass in the US would cost around $100,000 or around P4.5 million (at P44.5 to the dollar).
Tuason said a medical tourism package will only cost $22,325 or P993,462, which is inclusive of medical procedure ($18,000), air travel for two ($3,000), 5-day hotel accommodation ($625), meals ($500), ground transportation ($100) and miscellaneous fees ($100).
Tuason said the country’s closest competitors are India and Thailand, which are receiving high numbers of medical travelers nationwide.
But India does not have Cebu's wealth of tourist spots, he said. That is why medical procedures will be packaged with spa and wellness services and visits to tourist destinations.
Jennifer Franco, chairman of the National Association of Independent Travel Agencies in Cebu, said the current marketing strategy of lumping luxury trips and medical procedures will surely benefit tour operators and travel agencies as they extend reach to another tourist group.
Franco also sits as CHWC vice chairperson.
