THE RETIREMENT & Healthcare Coalition (RHC) and a German certification firm will work with hospitals to raise service standards in a bid to attract foreign retirees to the Philippines, the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) said in a statement on Wednesday.
The project aims to improve quality of service, operation and price transparency, as well as legal competence of hospitals and other health care facilities.
Germany-based TUV Rheinland was tapped for the initiative to help develop international-grade management and services in hospitals, as well as provide accreditation.
The project’s first phase has targeted 15 medical and other health care facilities in Metro Manila, Cebu, Clark, Dumaguete, Subic, and Tagaytay City.
Medical staff of participating hospitals and health care facilities will undergo awareness seminars, systems development, and capacity-building programs with TUV Rheinland. Health care service providers that complete training will receive certification indicating compliance with international standards that are adapted to the Philippine system.
Accredited facilities will then form part of a nationwide network of trusted health care providers that can be marketed internationally in partnership with the government.
“We support the efforts of the Department of Tourism and the Philippine Retirement Authority in fully developing the country’s retirement industry. Still, for the aging population of the world to consider the Philippines, the current state of the health care industry must be addressed,” Henry Schumacher, ECCP vice-president for external affairs and RHC chairman, said in the statement.
“We want to ensure a certain level of safety in the medical treatment of foreign retirees coming to the Philippines. There should also be a standardized rate on all medical procedures that are being offered,” he added.
Currently, 15% of the world’s population is aged over 65 years old, with Europe having the second biggest aging population after China, the statement noted.
The European chamber has been promoting the Philippines internationally as an ideal retirement destination since 2006.
Other core RHC members, apart from ECCP, include the Japanese, Korean, and American chambers.
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By: EJD
Source: Business World, Aug. 24, 2011
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