The Philippines Launch Medical Tourism Campaign

Officials launched a campaign Wednesday to promote so-called medical tourism in the Philippines in an effort to grab a slice of the multibillion-dollar industry.

In a program to formally promote the archipelago as “islands of wellness,” Health Secretary Francisco Duke III said government agencies and private clinics and hospitals will strive to make the Philippines the “new hub of wellness and medical care in Asia.”

He said the country was gearing up to compete directly with other Asian countries that are years ahead in the industry.

Medical tourism, which combines both health care and travel and leisure, last year generated more than one billion dollars in revenues for Thailand, India and Malaysia, Mr. Duke said.

“We believe that the Philippines can tap into the remaining huge market potential and generate this kind of amount once we take off in the next five years and thereon push ahead,” he said.

As an added benefit, the growth of medical tourism could generate enough revenues for the country to improve overall health care by increasing the number of hospital beds for the poor and making expensive advanced medical equipment available to them, Mr. Duke said.

He said the components of the new program include medical, surgical and dental care, health and wellness, traditional and alternative health care, long-term tourism and the establishment of international retirement and medical zones.