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By Lea Manto-Beltran, Contributor
TODAY, the Philippines marks its claim to be the next center for
health and wellness in Asia and the world as the region’s biggest
medical tourism and wellness summit starts at the Sofitel Philippine
Plaza Manila.
“What we do to ourselves now to maintain
wellness in body, mind and spirit determines who we are going to be
in the next few years and how we will be as a nation. What we do now
as “Philippines Inc.” to plan the course Philippine Health and
Wellness will take in the next few years would spell the difference
in the wealth creation for the country for the benefit of our fellow
Filipinos in this trying times,” says Tourism Undersecretary
Cynthia Carrion during the launching of the summit Embracing Health
and Wellness in the Heart of Asia.
Carrion adds, “This is the best time to
showcase what we can offer to the world and be able to partake in
the big slice of the trillion dollar industry of health and wellness
market.”
Showcasing
world-class Philippines
From October 22 to 25, the summit will showcase
the Philippines’ state of world-class healthcare by featuring its
excellent hospitals, patient safety standards, and Filipinos’
natural culture of caring, kindness and compassion.
According to Sam Bernal, MD, a cancer
specialist, molecular biologist and president of Globe Tek Pro Asia,
“The Philippines is more than ready to provide world-class,
quality medical care to medical tourists.”
One of the experts featured in the summit,
Bernal is a visiting professor at the Ateneo School of Science and
Engineering and the University of Santo Tomas School of Medicine. He
serves as consultant at The Medical City, St. Luke’s, National
Kidney and Transplantation Institute and the Lung Center of the
Philippines.
A Professor of Medicine at
UCLA-affiliated hospitals for many years, Dr. Bernal is currently
UCLA Professor Emeritus of Medicine, Director Emeritus of the Cancer
Center of Los Angeles VA System and medical staff member of
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Beverly Hills.
For 15 years, Bernal and his team have been
bringing foreign patients for treatment in the Philippines routinely
through Global Tek Pro Asia. These patients usually have what Bernal
calls “catastrophic” illnesses like terminal cancer. A proof
that indeed, the Philippines is more than ready to offer world-class
healthcare.
For 400 years since the establishment of the
University of Santo Tomas and its School of Medicine in 1611,
western medical tradition in the Philippines has developed and
progress as more medical schools followed including the University
of the Philippines College of Medicine.
Since then, Filipino doctors were given
recognition in the country and abroad for their competence and
caring, compassionate attitude towards their patients.
Moreover, Filipino doctors acquired the best
medical training both here and in the best medical training centers
in the United States, Europe and Asia.
As a teacher in the Philippines’ top medical
schools, Bernal attested to this fact. “I have taught at Harvard
and other medical schools, getting students of various
nationalities. And I can tell you, Filipinos are some of the most
brilliant medical students,” Bernal said.
As the number of doctors increased, so did the
number of hospitals providing quality care. These hospitals include
some of the very best in Asia and the world, including The Medical
City, the Makati Medical Center and St. Luke’s Medical Center,
which has international accreditations.
Other world-class hospitals in the
Philippines include the Philippine Heart Center, the Lung Center of
the Philippines and the National Kidney and Transplant Institute.
Home for foreign retirees
According to Philippine Retirement Authority
Chairman Gen. Edgar Aglipay, the Philippines is among the world’s
top choices for retirement locations. The cities of Tagaytay, Cebu,
Davao, Subic and The Fort in particular are already home to happy
retirees from the United States, Europe and Asia.
With more than 7,000 islands, the Philippines is
literally dotted with tropical paradise islands offering world-class
medical care, excellent service and support to retirees (through the
PRA) and friendly, gentle, kind and compassionate Filipinos.
Pinoy wellness and healing
Philippines’ tradition of wellness and
holistic healing dated back for hundreds of years. A part of the
Filipino culture, it blended well with the healing process from
Southeast Asia, China and Europe by way of Spain and Mexico, mixed
with homegrown remedies (particularly herbal).
Hilot has now gained international attention.
Though it is referred to as massage or touch therapy, hilot is the
entire system of healing where massage is just one part of the
process done in metaphysical or even spiritual terms.
Hilot also includes the use of herbs (applied
topically combined with heating or warming, aromatics, incense and
natural oils); techniques of thermal manipulation; the freeing of
the body’s circulation from blockages of energies; and the
elimination of toxins.
Despite its “cultish” connotation, the
effectiveness of hilot cannot be denied by Filipinos and foreigners
who have reported positive results following treatments. Even the
World Health Organization recognized hilot as a legitimate,
effective treatment under the branch of alternative medicine.
In order to ensure that patients who undergo
hilot are receiving quality care, the Department of Health issues
licenses to hilot practitioners.
The Philippines also has its share of
alternative medicine practitioners, including herbalists,
homeopaths, acupuncturists, Pranic healers, Reiki practitioners and
yogic healers.
Spa haven
Several spas in the country have achieved
international acclaim for their quality service, peaceful, relaxing
and beautiful surroundings, world-class amenities, effective
treatments, and of course, caring and attentive staff.
Among these spas include Mandala Spa; Chi Spa of
the Shangri-La hotels; The Farm in San Benito; Nurture Spa in
Tagaytay; The Spa and Amezcua.
Compassionate Pinoy
Filipinos are naturally kind and compassionate,
thus the term hospitable. In fact, many Filipino nurses and
caregivers are being hired in different parts of the world because
of their caring and compassionate qualities.
Now, Department Of Tourism and the Department of
Health has put in place a program to bring patients and medical
travelers to the Philippines instead of sending health and wellness
professionals abroad.
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