To maximize Medtourism Cebu needs globally accredited hospitals

CEBU, Philippines —  Cebu needs to have more internationally accredited hospitals and wellness-oriented hotels and resorts to cash in on the billion-dollar medical and wellness industry. 

Roberto Alabado III, director for medical and wellness tourism at the Department of Tourism, said the agency is now looking at re-launching the Philippines as a wellness destination, citing Cebu as a primary spot.

"We are looking Cebu as one of the potential destinations for wellness tourism," he said during the Tourism Innovation Forum in Marco Polo Plaza Cebu on Thursday. 

Alabado urged Cebu to have more hospitals and clinics with international accreditation to attract more medical tourists.

"There are limited number of hospitals with international accreditation," he said.

"The more internationally accredited facilities, the better," the DOT official noted.

Cebu's resorts and hotels should also invest in offering wellness products — treatments, facilities and services — to tourists.

"Your hotels and resorts must offer healthy food options especially that vegan or vegetarian people are increasing," he said, adding they must also level up from offering plain massages to treatment packages.

Alabado believes Cebu already has highly skilled human resources needed in serving medical and wellness tourists.

"You have the ability to integrate wellness, medical and tourism," he noted. 

The official noted wellness tourism has a very large market of $22 billion globally. 

Nowadays there is an increasing number of health and wellness conscious tourists and the Philippines should position itself as the new luxury destination, he said.

Moreover, he also pointed out that better air connectivity and aggressive marketing must also be pursued to boost Cebu’s standing in medical tourism. 

It also needs more investors for medical infrastructure and services and that it also has to ensure quality assurance in this industry.

Alabado stressed that Cebu and the Philippines in general have to increase its competitiveness in medical tourism as they have remained behind their Southeast Asian neighbors.

In the Philippines, he said there are only five facilities (mostly in Manila) that are accredited by Joint Commission International (JCI), the world’s largest healthcare accreditation.

Singapore has 23 accredited; Malaysia, 13; Thailand, 64; and India, 38.