China's largest medical group to put up hospital in Phl

GUANGZHOU – The largest medical group in China plans to put up one hospital in the Philippines and recruit Filipino doctors, nurses and other health workers.

“We are looking at the kinds of hospitals that can be established in the Philippines,” Bo Ai Medical Group chairman Lin Zhicheng told visiting Filipino journalists here.

“We have that kind of idea (of building a hospital in the Philippines). We are still waiting for the time to mature to have more understanding of the Philippine industry,” he said.

Lin went to the Philippines in March and met local businessmen and Filipino officials in the hope of setting up a hospital.

“We are still on our researching (phase) on the possibility of making a market in the Philippine industry,” he said.

Lin met Vice President Jejomar Binay during his visit to the Philippines.

“He is very interested in stem cell (therapy),” Lin said.

Binay promised to come to Guangzhou and told the Chinese businessmen to put up a hospital in the Philippines, Lin said.

He said Bo Ai’s expansion plan is part of the firm’s vision to be the largest medical group in Asia.

At present, he said they were researching on treatments available in the Philippines “(to determine how) to promote ourselves.”

Bo Ai runs the Modern Cancer Hospital in Guangzhou and offers a combination of western modes of cancer treatment and traditional Chinese medicine.

“These traditional treatments are available only in China,” Lin noted.

Lin said the medical group has some 20,000 employees but they still have no Filipino doctor in the firm.

“We communicated with Filipino doctors (and asked them) if they are willing to work only for us,” he said, noting that unlike in the set up in the Philippines, Bo Ai’s doctors work exclusively for the medical group.

He said that aside from doctors, the medical group is also considering hiring Filipino nurses.