MARIVELES, Bataan – The Freeport Area of Bataan (FAB), home of multinational companies here, is open to the medical tourism industry, the Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB) announced Friday.
AFAB chairman Emmanuel Pineda considers FAB as one of the best zones in the country for the development of the healthcare industry.
“Healthcare presents an opportunity for eco-zones like the FAB where the medical tourism angle can be built on,” he said.
Pineda said that the Mariveles freeport will be a good site in the rehabilitation aspect of medical tourism, considering its nice beaches, clean air and lower costs that will be attractive for the foreign market.
“Foreign firms can also manufacture healthcare equipment in the FAB,” he said.
Multinational firms produce for export electronics component, tennis balls, fiber glass, face masks, plastic wares, high-end brands of garments, apparel, shoes and accessories like bags, jewelries, among others, the chairman said.
Pineda said AFAB, in coordination with the Bataan provincial government, is currently preparing for the operation of the first hospital in Mariveles town and the freeport.
He expressed belief that although the Philippines’ medical tourism is still a growing industry, the country can attract foreign investors engaged in health-related businesses.
The Philippines is recognized as one of Asia’s most advanced nations in the field of healthcare, with many leading hospitals in the country already accredited by international agencies, the AFAB chairman said.
Studies, he said, showed that the Philippine medical tourism industry will become more than a $3-billion industry by 2017, with an average of around 200,000 foreign patients expected to come to the Philippines every year.
“I am very hopeful that FAB can contribute its share to the industry,” Pineda said.
FAB was formerly the Bataan Export Processing Zone, the first EPZ in the country, later turned into the Bataan Economic Zone under the Philippine Economic Zone Authority.
