By APRIL VILLANUEVA & JACKIELOU BERNARDO
Medical tourism is a term that has risen from the rapid growth of the industry where people from all around the world are traveling to obtain medical, dental, and surgical care while experiencing the attractions of the countries that they are visiting.
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The organizers and their adviser: convention
and exhibit management class 3T2 A.Y.
2005-2006 and Atty. Gezzez Giezi Granado | | Tourism Class 3T2 of the University of Santo Tomas held a convention and exhibit at the Champagne Hall of Gazebo Royale in Visayas Avenue Extension, Quezon, City with the theme "MEDICAL TOURISM: Filipinos’ Own Cachet of Dosage in Unveiling the Hidden Jewels of 7107 Islands". It was the biggest challenge of the class in partial fulfillment of their subject requirements on Convention and Exhibit Management Class with adviser Atty. Gezzez Giezi Granado. A fruition of the 43 students hard labor for the past 2 1/2 months.
The objective of the said event was to make a difference in divulging the capability of Filipino medical experts by paving the way for inexpensive yet extraordinary tourist experience in the Philippines. The class wanted to accentuate the relevance of having affordable medical treatments in the country.
Prior to the program proper, an exhibit, ushered in by a resounding siren, was conducted. Fr. Romulo Rodriguez O.P. J.C.D, regent of the College of Education led this. Its aim was to epitomize and intensify medical tourism in the country. Immediately after the exhibit, the program started with an opening remark by Kathrine Rizavet Ersando, the over-all event chairperson. The line up proceeded with a game, which bears the title "What’s The Word? That’s The Word!".
The event was highlighted with series of talks from the three different speakers, namely; Dr. Paul Ferdinand Reganit, the proponent of medical tourism: Rica Bueno, the head of medical tourism: and Dr. Alfredo Callanta, a professional plastic surgeon.
Dr. Reganit started the discussion by introducing medical tourism. He also tackled the benefits of having medical and surgical procedures done in the country. He emphasized the significance of medicine in relation to the field of tourism. He believes that Philippines is one of the few countries in Southeast Asia and in Asia offering such specialized tour offerings with only Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and India as competitors.
Supposedly, the next speaker was Rica Bueno of the Department of Tourism, but due to unseen circumstances, she was not able to attend. In her behalf, Jing Nievas carried on with what she was supposed to discuss. She explained that medical tourism will be offered to tourists whose main purpose for visiting the Philippines is to undergo ‘affordable medical procedures and treatments’ by accredited hospitals and health care establishments. She made clear that they have already come up with rules and regulations for the accreditation of health establishments, wellness centers and hospitals in the country, using DOT’s standards for hotels as the benchmark.
Finally, Dr. Callanta provided the audience with appealing facts regarding surgical procedures such as liposuction, breast augmentation, nose job, face-lift and many others. The talk also dwelt on the effects of faulty surgical procedures, discrepancy between the costs of the procedures here and abroad and he also displayed images showing the "before and after" of the procedures which obviously did not fail to catch the attention of the audience.
When the lecture was done, the program moved on with an open forum wherein numerous listeners raised several questions which were then acknowledged and resolved by the three speakers.
Right after the open forum, Dr. Clotilde Arcangel, Dean of the College of Education, gave a very inspiring closing remark.
One of the most exciting segments of the event was the playing of the band ‘Rocksteady’. It was so obvious that the audience enjoyed and appreciated the performance very much. They could not help but sing with the group.
Surprises did not end there yet. The class boasted fireworks display and the delegates did not fell short to throw their compliments to the success of the event.
(The authors are 3rd year Tourism students of the University of Santo Tomas. Jackielou is the president of Toursim Class 3T2 while April is the secretary of the Promotions Committee of the convention and exhibit. For comments, email scubul@mb.com.ph.)
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