American group plans to build state-of-the art hospital at SRP

Negotiations are ongoing between the City of Cebu and an American firm for the establishment of a P700 million state-of-the-art hospital at the South Reclamation Properties.

Dr. Philip Chua, the Chairman of Cardiovascular Surgery at Cebu Doctor's University Hospital told The Freeman that the Cardiovascular Hospitals of America (CHA) based in Wichita, Kansas plans to build the American Medical Center in Cebu City, its first branch in Asia, by next year.

Chua, a Filipino-American cardio-surgeon from Indiana and Las Vegas, is also the Vice President of CHA for Far East Operations.

Chua said the Philippines was primarily chosen as the pilot area as it has an edge over other Asian countries because of its natural resources as the availability of manpower.

"Particularly the knowledge and grasp of the English language, the Philippines can do it better than those Asian countries whose medical tourism is now rapidly evolving a multi-billion dollar industry, like Malaysia, Thailand and India," Chua said.

The planned American Medical Center-Cebu will apply for accreditation with the Joint Commission International, US Blue Cross/Blue Shield and US Medicare.

When it comes to fruition, Chua said that with the enabling environment and assistance provided by Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña and the national government, this industry would bring hundreds of thousand new jobs and billions of pesos to boost the sagging economy of the country.

Chua said that Filipinos abroad are most eager to visit the Philippines often or even to retire but due to lack of health and hospitalization insurance coverage, they are reluctant to do so.

The AMC-Cebu would change all this and will allow Filipinos overseas fulfill their dream of retiring in their native land.

Investors of this medical tourism center, besides the CHA in Kansas, are all physicians and businessmen in Cebu, Manila and other major cities south of Manila.

It will be built based on American standards and managed as a world class center with licensed surgeons in the United States among the many surgical specialists on its staff.

Chua said it is going to be a win-win situation for the American investors, Filipino physicians, Cebu and the Filipino people as a whole.

The doctor also assured that although the hospital will cater mainly to balikabayans and patients from other countries, Filipinos can also seek treatment and medical care in the facility.

The CHA owns four hospitals in the United States. - Ferliza C. Contratista