Medical tourism development in Cebu City; Effects on local development

Abstract

Healthcare for sale in Cebu, the Philippines. Each year overseas tourists travel to the Philippines to avail of local healthcare services ranging from liposuction, cosmetic surgery, dental work or luxurious spa experiences, but also to receive ‘cheap’ kidney transplants. How can we justify this medical globalization? While local Filipino’s still die from Tuberculosis and other easy treatable diseases? Can we ethically except medical professionals investing their time and expertise in those ‘unnecessary’ procedures for foreigners while their own people need them the most? And on the other hand, how can medical tourism development be managed in order to benefit the local population and local development? Where do the thousands of dollars that are paid per patient go and who is really profiting? Other successfully developed medical destinations show us the far reaching possibilities and the economic revenues it could bring, eventually developing whole regions or even a whole country. Many professionals and scientists have far ranging opinions about this; from criticizing the possible decrease in local healthcare quality and accessibility to the possible economic effects it can bring for Cebu. This thesis aims at reaching an answer towards the question: ‘What are the effects on local development from the development of medical tourism in Cebu and how can the local population benefit from the development of medical tourism in a sustainable way?.’