Abstract:
The continuously increasing medical costs in the global north have pushed differents countries into promoting medical tourism. The Philippine Government has acknowledged the brimming potential of this industry and, through the collaboration of private and public sectors, has launched the Philippine Medical Tourism Program. Nevertheless, the negative and positive effects of Medical Tourism to Philippine healthcare are yet to be seen. This paper presents the history and current condition of medical tourism in the global context and applies it to the Philippine situation. This research work also peeks into the positive and negative effects brought about by medical tourism in different private hospitals. This paper also looks into how the general public perceives medical tourism. Lastly, this paper put forward several recommendations to guarantee that the success of medical tourism will not be at the expense of the Philippine public health system.
