Healthcare providers to adopt international accreditation system

MANILA, Philippines – The Retirement & Healthcare Coalition (RHC) together with German certifying firm TUV Rheinland will jointly undertake a program that will develop and install an internationally acceptable quality management and accreditation system among healthcare providers in the country.

Initially targeted are 15 hospitals and healthcare centers in Metro Manila, Cebu, Clark, Dumaguete, Subic, and Tagaytay – places which have been identified by the RHC and the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) as ideal destinations for foreign retirees in the country.

RHC chairman and ECCP vice president for external affairs Henry Schumacher said the program aims to create a network of trusted healthcare 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 healthcare industry must be addressed,” Schumacher said.

The RHC has noted deficits in the quality of service, transparency of operations and prices, and inadequate legal basis for mistreatments even on tertiary hospitals that claims to operate on world-class standards.

Aside from the ECCP, the other core members of the RHC are the Japanese, Korean, and American chambers.

Healthcare providers that will complete the program will be receiving certifications that are equal to an international standardization adapted to the specific needs in the Philippines.

Under the program, participants will go through an awareness seminars, systems development, and capacity building.

“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,” Schumacher said.

Currently, 15 percent of the world’s population is above 65 years old. Over the next four years, the aging population will reach over 918 million. Europe has the second biggest aging population in the world after China with over 370 million individuals aged 50 and above.

Since 2006, the ECCP has been pushing the Philippines internationally as an ideal destination for retirees. –Ma. Elisa P. Osorio (The Philippine Star)