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IT GOES
WITHOUT saying that Cebu has long been a
certified tourism and investment haven in
the Philippines. Facilities are well in
place, resorts and hotels enjoy high
occupancy rates and Foreign Direct
Investments (FDIs) number by the hundreds.
Foreign visitors have continually set record
highs for the past several years—eager to
partake of the resorts, the cosmopolitan
lifestyle, the divespots and the English as
a Second Language, or ESL schools.
But does Cebu have what it takes as a
medical destination? Is the necessary
infrastructure in place in order to merit
such a tag? How about the human resources
and the equipment? How would Cebu fare
against more established countries which
boast of more advanced facilities and
amenities? And isn’t Manila more prepared to
handle medical tourism?
Cebu Not Ready?
According to Tourism Regional Director Dawnie Roa, Cebu
is far from ready to be marketed as a
medical tourism destination due to the lack
of coordination between the stakeholders
concerned and the apparent unwillingness of
the stakeholders to conform to the lofty
requirements as imposed by the Department of
Tourism (DOT). “Medical tourism cannot come
Cebu. The thrifty owners are reluctant to
upgrade their facilities in order to meet
international standards due to the high
expenses involved. But this is a must in
order to meet the expectations of the
foreign client,” she told What’s On & Expat
in an interview.
As an example, she related that hospitals that want to
be DOT-accredited should be ready to invest
in a single hospital wing housing suite-like
rooms equipped with private balconies,
refrigerator, receiving room, upscale
toilets, room service, furniture sets, and
the like to serve VIP patients. Furthermore,
the hospital lobbies should resemble hotel
foyers with amenities such as a beauty
parlor, flower shop, special lighting
systems, etc., for a hotel-like atmosphere
to match counterparts based in Singapore,
Thailand and Malaysia. Cuisine should not be
of the fastfood or eatery type but more of
an upscale dining in elite restaurants.
Roa bared that the hospital owners wanted her to
waive the requirements due to the expenses
involved, but she answered that other
stakeholders; namely spa operators,
airlines, etc., may also follow suit in
wanting her to relax the requirements.
Quality cannot be sacrificed to favor a few,
she reasoned. Everyone must fulfill their
role if they want to take part in the
action. The DOT standards are meant to be
imposed in order that the Philippines attain
world-class
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