CEBU CITY – The Cebu Health and Wellness Council (CHWC), a group of players in the local health and wellness industry, is set to capitalize on the country’s growing overseas Filipino workers, or balikbayans, targeting them as envoys to promote the sector in the international market.

Nelia Navarro, Provincial Director of the Department of Tourism-Cebu, said that as Cebu positions itself as a premier health and wellness destination in Asia, combining both leisure and business in one place, local industry stakeholders are bent on luring foreign patients through testimonies and first-hand experiences of balikbayans availing of local medical and wellness services.

The Department of Tourism-Cebu is one of CHWC’s member government agencies.

“Our first target is to attract all Filipinos around the world to avail of the best health and wellness services we have here,” said Navarro. “Eventually, they will become our ambassadors for the sector.”

According to Navarro, the influx of foreign patients considering the Philippines as an alternative destination for affordable health and wellness services is possible if these international Filipino communities with foreign friends are able to share by word-of-mouth their personal experiences in trying out local health and wellness therapies, the qualities of which are fast gaining a positive reputation globally.

At present, she said, CHWC member-organizations including leading hospitals in Metro Cebu, dental organizations, spa and wellness players, among others, are conducting talks with several Filipino communities abroad “who can help bring in Filipino patients.”

Navarro stressed that Cebu medical institutions as well as wellness facilities are ready to accommodate more sophisticated markets, including Americans and Europeans, seeking medical services and wellness vacation packages.

The Philippines, she said, is now in close competition with Thailand, India, Singapore and Malaysia, which have been ahead of the country in attracting significant number of medical tourists.

In Asia, medical tourism has raked in US$120 billion in revenues for 2006, a big improvement from the US$40 billion it earned in 2000. India is currently the number one destination for medical tourists around the world.

Total package for one medical tourist is pegged at an average of US$28,000, depending on the type of medical procedure. That amount already includes hotel accommodation and a vacation package, among others services.

Navarro said it is estimated that every medical tourist can save at least US$77,000 if they were to have their medical services done in countries other than Europe or the United States.

“In the last two to three years, we have seen more medical tourists coming to the Philippines because they have recognized the international quality service of (our) medical professionals,” said CHWC President Oscar Tuason in a separate interview.

“As long as the United States continue to charge expensive medical services, we will be seeing a steady growth in the number of medical tourists in Cebu,” he said.