Experts to help hospitals, healthcare and travel providers tap global medical tourism market

Hospitals, clinics and healthcare professionals seeking information on how to tap the global healthcare market now have access to the most credible and most complete information source: “The 1st Philippine Global Healthcare Forum” on November 11, 2011 at the Auditorium of the newly-built NKTI Diagnostic Center in Quezon City.

Medical Tourism, also known as Global Healthcare, is the new reality—and the one of best opportunities for revenue—for healthcare providers and the travel industry. Countries like India, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and some South American nations already provide world-class medical services to patients from overseas or “medical tourists.”

As a result, these countries are already reaping benefits from what is projected by some to be a US$100 billion medical tourism market by 2012. This, as more and more patients seek world-class quality medical care overseas at a lower cost compared to rates in their home countries.

“Our stakeholders in the healthcare and tourism sector have been aware of medical tourism for some time. The difficulty for most of them is the lack of resources for information that is applicable to their situation, their needs and their goals. Surfing the Internet merely floods them with information that they are unable to process nor implement.

“This is why we organized this healthcare forum. We gathered together experts in medical tourism and customized the forum discussion so it fits the needs of our healthcare and tourism industries. We are confident that after they attend this forum, they will be able to begin planning and re-structuring efforts to allow them to go into medical tourism, said Joyce Socao-Alumno, Executive Director & Chief Strategist of HealthCORE and the country’s foremost expert consultant on global healthcare.

Alumno added that the forum is also the best way for participants to network with one another and the medical tourism experts who will be present there.

Expert panel

Experts on global healthcare will share valuable insights to Philippine healthcare providers at the 1st Philippine Global Healthcare Forum. These experts will be on hand to provide much-needed information to Filipino healthcare providers that wish to tap into the international medical tourism market.

Dr. Sanjiv Malik, Executive Director, DM Healthcare Group & EuroHealth Systems and Hon. Board Member, NABH International, will be at the Forum to discuss “The Global Healthcare Challenges: A Snapshot on the Current Status of Healthcare Systems of the Developed Countries and How it Impacts the Philippines”

Dr. Malik is one of the world’s foremost experts on medical tourism. He will discuss how globalized healthcare can benefit a country like the Philippines—not just private medical care institutions but the public healthcare system as well.

He will also provide insights on how the healthcare sector in the Philippines can embrace the reality of global healthcare and begin the process of providing world-class medical care to medical tourists.

Dr. B.K. Rana, Vice Chairman of International Society for Quality in Healthcare (ISQuA) and President of Asian Society for Quality in Healthcare (ASQua), will speak on the topic “How Accreditation Improves the Healthcare System of a Nation and the Hospital Organization” together with Philhealth president Dr. Rey Aquino.

Dr. Rana will discuss the benefits that a nation’s healthcare providers and its public healthcare system will receive when hospitals are able to get accreditation from international healthcare standards agencies. One immediate benefit is the upgrade of healthcare standards for both private medical institutions and public health in general—including patient safety and improved clinical outcomes.

Department of Health Secretary Enrique Ona, will present the keynote address, “Charting the Path of the Philippine Healthcare System Towards Global Competitiveness”. He will provide insights on how medical tourism and the country’s public health system are able to complement each other for their mutual advantage. He will also discuss opportunities for partnerships and cooperation between the public and private healthcare providers.

A very interesting panel discussion, “Are Filipino Healthcare Professionals Globally Competitive?” will be conducted by leaders of the different healthcare professionals’ associations, including Hon. Teresita R. Manzala, Chairperson, Professional Regulation Commission (PRC); Dr. Oscar Tinio, President, Phil. Medical Association (PMA); Dr. Roberto Tajonera, President, Phil. Dental Association (PDA); and Dr. Teresita Barcelo, President, Phil. Nurses Association (PNA). Dr. Malik will act as Chair of the panel discussion.

Other expert speakers at the Forum will discuss a range of topics that Philippine healthcare providers will find useful and applicable as they move towards tapping the global healthcare market.

Topics include international accreditation and how to achieve it; quality management systems for hospitals and clinics; migrant health; the telehealth system of India and how its success can help the Philippines’ emerging telehealth sector; how to tap into the global healthcare market; the importance of convergence and technology to address healthcare needs of a growing population; how to make the Philippines globally competitive in its medical services; the social business of healthcare and others.

More detailed information about the topics, resource persons and registration process of the 1st Philippine Global Healthcare Forum and Executive Workshop is available online at www.healthcore.com.ph. You may also inquire by email at info@healthcore.com.ph; through fax 6372073; or call 9108030 and 0917-8938762.

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