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Millennium
Asean Asian Medical Tourism 2008 :Conference &
Exhibition 2008 : Together for Health 2008
- A Strategic Approach for the Asean Asian
Countries.. Destination Medical Tourism
Philippines
This Millennium 1st edition Conference &
Exhibition 2008 in collaboration with
ASEAN FOCUS:
Destination
Medical Tourism Philippines:
Philippine Health Tourism Programme (PHTP) aims
to target both the wellness/spa and medical
tourist markets.
Tourism Secretary Roberto Pagdanganan, said that
health holidays are significantly growing
outside Europe and in other parts of
the world - “If the growth of health resorts in
Asia, including the Philippines, is
anything to go by, there would seem
to be a huge potential to develop health tourism
as a great come-on since health and wellness
using traditional healing methods, such as
massage, healing and herbs is very much part of
the Asian culture.”
Under the Philippine Health Tourism Program (PHTP),
DOT and its partner agencies
such as the Department of
Health–Philippine Institute of Traditional and
Alternative Health Care (DOH-PITAHC) and
the Department of Energy (DOE) are jointly
offering cost-effective medical treatments
combined with special itineraries
that will showcase some of the best tourist
attractions the country could offer.
The new program will be offered to tourists
whose main purpose for visiting the Philippines
is to undergo “minimally invasive medical
procedures and treatments.” Specially-designed
tours integrated with the medical
programs by accredited hospitals and healthcare
establishments will then be offered to suit the
needs of these identified market segment.
Philippines is one of the few countries in Asia
to offer such specialized medical or health tour
offerings, with only Thailand, Malaysia,
Singapore and India as competitors.
The DOT, DOH-PITAHC and DOE have already come up
with rules and regulations for
the accreditation of health establishments,
wellness centers and hospitals in the country,
using DOT’s standards for hotels as the
benchmark. Currently, only St. Luke’s Medical
Center remains the only hospital that has met
these standards.
Hospitals such as the Asian
Hospital in Alabang, Capitol Medical
Center in Quezon City
and Medical City in Mandaluyong City
are gearing up to offer world class facilities.
Surgeons in the Philippines, routinely perform
kidney transplants and complicated cardiac
procedures.
The country’s bid was also reinforced during the
state visit of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
in Bahrain last December when
the Bahraini government
expressed interest to send medical
tourists to the Philippines. Now
underway are a Medical Tourism Forum and modules
for the implementation of a “Mabuhay Host
Training Program” for healthcare frontliners of
accredited hospitals, all to strengthen the
country’s readiness as a health
vacation destination.
The DOT is also spearheading the establishment
of the Spa Philippines Association
(SPA), an organization to be composed of
accredited firms and individuals who are
directly or indirectly engaged in the spa
business.
The SPA, which will be DOT’s ally in promoting
the Philippines as a spa
holiday destination in Asia, aims to uphold the
standards and ethics of the Philippine spa
industry and strive towards
its professionaliszation,
ensure the highest standards of services and
facilities for clients, and develop a unique
branding or image for the Philippine spa
industry.
One of the most active participants in the DOT’s
Philippine Health Tourism
Program, The Farm at San
Benito—Hippocrates Health Resort of Asia, a
world-class alternative medical resort in Lipa
City Batangas, holds healthful
activities for the whole family.
Called “Family Week at the Farm,” this series of
activities is part of the health resort’s
commitment to the DOT to help in promoting
the country as a health vacation destination in
Asia. Activities which a
family will surely enjoy include kite
flying, arts and crafts, massage lessons for
kids, face painting,
yoga, conscious walking
exercise, swimming, seed planting, healthy food
preparation, etc. The
Farm includes a fully integrated
medical facility specializing in alternative
preventive health and natural healing.
(special
correspondent from asean focus)
<Malaysia
Citynews> <Oman
Citynews> |
