The new program will be offered to tourist whose main purpose for visiting the Philippines is to undergo 'minimally' invasive medical procedures and treatments'. Specially-designed tours integrated to the medical programs by accredited hospitals and healthcare establishments, will then be offered to suit the needs of the identified market segment. The DOT said that the Philippines is one of the few countries in Southeast Asia and in Asia to offer such specialized tour offering with Thailand,Malaysia,Singapore and India being the other competitors.

DOT,DOH-PITACH and DOE have already come up with rules and regulations for the acrreditation of health establishments,wellness centers and hospitals in the country, using DOT's standards for hotels as the benchmark. Currently, Capitol Medical Center in Quezon City, Asian Hospital in Alabang, St. Luke's Medical Center in Mandaluyong are accredited for medical tourism.

Health experts are confident that the program will be successful considering the minimum ten years' medical education of physicians in the country, fluency of doctors in the English language, state-of-the-art healthcare facilities, and a wide array of choices of divers and exotic travel and recreational therapy.

Medical services offered by the country include cardiology, pulmonary, and critical care medicine, control of infectious diseases, nephrology, hematology, endocrinology, allergology, rheumatology and cancer cellular therapy.

Surgical services, on the other hand, include cataract and refractive surgery, ear, nose, and throat surgery, dentistry, cosmetic and plastic surgery, coronary artery bypass surgery, knee and hip replacement, bone marrow transplantation, gamma knife neurosurgery, gynecological surgery and others.