Medical Tourism in the Philippines today is an emerging cluster aiming to provide world-class medical facilities by developing partnerships with leading hospitals of the world. Travel to other countries for medical treatment is a growing phenomenon. Worldwide medical tourism is estimated to be worth $20 billion and is expected to double by 2010. In Asia alone, it is expected to grow to a $4.4 billion industry by 2012. The reason for this growth include high cost of healthcare and long-waiting times in developed countries, availability of comparable healthcare at lower cost in developing countries and low costs of international travel.

 According to the Philippine government, in 2006 there were 250,000 non-resident patients, generating revenues of $350 million i.e. 14% of the Asian market. It was noted that around 40% of the American citizens would consider medical treatment abroad if it cost them half the price and was of the same quality. Going for treatment abroad could save 25% to 90% of the costs. For example, a knee replacement surgery in a high-tech hospital in the Philippines performed by Western trained surgeons might only cost you P6,000.oo. In US it is P60,000 to P80,000. Gastric by-pass surgery in the US can cost $10,000.oo to $20,000.oo. Overseas, it can be done for well under $5,000.oo.

The Philippines is able to provide high quality healthcare to medical tourist at prices lower than developed countries. It is also very cost competitive as compared to its South American competitors including Mexico and Brazil as well as regional competitor such as Singapore and comparable to Thailand.

In 2004, the government, realizing the potential of medical tourism, launched a public-private partnership project by the name  of the Philippine Medical Tourism Program (PMTP). Medical tourist who choose the Philippines receive treatment from top private hospitals which are comparable with those in developed countries. After their medical procedure, the patients can rest and recuperate at world-renowned tourist resorts before heading back to their home countries.

The Philippines Medical Tourism cluster is supported by other related clusters and institutes for collaboration as follows:

    Health Provider: majority of them are private hospitals and clinics concentrating on cosmetics surgery, eye surgery and dental healthcare, but other procedures such as kidney and heart surgery are also available.

    Tourism Cluster: supported by a robust tourism cluster, the medical tourism cluster benefits from facilities like hotels, restaurants, travel consultants and spa clinics.

     BPO: The Medical Transcription segment of the BPO cluster supports the medical tourism by providing a pool of transferable human resources with medical training , like an assistants for medical tourists.

Indeed, there is a lot of potential for medical tourism in the Philippines. However, for the success of the industry, medical practitioners need the government's support. To tap into its growth potential, especially high value customers from rich countries, the government needs to  improve the Philippines business environment and infrastructure and provide an enabling political, legal and social environment. The health and tourism industries should work together and make a concerted effort to market Filipino medical tourism. This is a rapidly growing industry and many countries are actively promoting it. We should also promote the Philippines and make it a favored destination for patients seeking quality medical care at very affordable prices.