Beverly Hills 6750 embraces medical tourism

With the Department of Tourism’s efforts to promote the Philippines as a premier medical tourism destination, things are looking up for the country’s beauty and wellness sector. Foreign patients are concerned with getting healthcare services that are at par or better than those that are available in their home countries.

Managing director of Beverly Hills 6750 Dr. Eduardo Santos says: “For them (foreign patients) to be assured of this, a system of evaluating and accrediting health facilities has to be done so that patients and insurers are assured of quality service and results — this is the thrust of organizations like the Joint Commission International (JCI) and Accreditation Canada International. Moreover, for any industry to thrive, it has to have support from all the stakeholders — the government and its designated front agencies, namely the DOT and the DOH, and the private sector.”

Beverly Hills 6750 participated in a four-day summit entitled Embracing Health and Wellness in the Heart of Asia held at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Hotel. The gathering of international and local experts and government policy makers from the health and tourism sectors focused on how to position the Philippines as a major beauty hub in Asia.

“We are fortunate that in this summit we had the Lead Surveyor of Accreditation Canada International Eva Kiess as a participant where she discussed the philosophy and accreditation process of Accreditation Canada. International accreditation of our healthcare facilities will boost our chances of attracting medical tourists,” adds Santos.

The event was held in concurrence with Presidential Proclamation No. 1280 “Declaring the month of October 2007 and every year thereafter as National Health and Wellness Tourism Month.” During the conference, the Filipino healthcare professionals’ expertise, competency and world-class training as well as the added inherent Filipino nature of being caring and compassionate were underscored as providing them an edge in the global healthcare industry. Beverly Hills 6750 prides itself in being an aesthetics institute whose professional team consists predominantly of department chiefs from the country’s major hospitals. “We have an impeccable staff of doctors who represent the ‘the stars’ of the medical profession,” Beverly Hills 6750’s director muses, assuring the clinic’s clients of professional service and quality results. Dr. Santos stresses that expertise is very crucial to be able to attract patients from other countries saying: “Quality results, patient safety and personalized service are our goals.”

Passion for France

Bank of the Philippine Islands president Aurelio “Gigi” Montinola III was awarded the rank of Chevalier of France’s highest decoration “Ordre de la Légion d’Honneur” for his unfailing support to economic and cultural ties between France and the Philippines.

Légion d’Honneur is an order of chivalry established on May 19, 1802 by Napoléon Bonaparte, first Consul of the French Republic. President of France Nicolas Sarkozy is the Grand Master of the Order and appoints all other members of the order. Its five classes are: Chevalier (Knight), Officier (Officer), Commandeur (Commander), Grand Officier (Grand Officer) and Grand Croix (Grand Cross).

Montinola has been a major player in enriching the relations between the two countries. As the vice chairman of Republic Cement Corp., a Lafarge associated company and the co-chairman of the Philippines-France Business Council, he is fervently involved in making the two countries’ economic ties more dynamic. For instance, he co-founded Cosmetiques de Paris, which eventually became L’Oreal Philippines and he organized a large delegation of Filipino businessmen to meet their counterpart in France in late 2007.

Montinola, who belongs to a family that has an intense passion for France, has always been supportive of the Alliance Française de Manille (AFM) where his mother Lourdes and him, served as presidents. His family sponsored the construction of the new Alliance Française building with assistance from other benefactors. After his seven-year term in AFM, he continues to give patronage to the French language and cultural institution. Further, BPI is a generous sponsor of the events of French Spring in Manila, a yearly cultural rendezvous of the best in French and Filipino cultures.