Reflexology Training to Help Boost Medical Tourism in the Philippines

The Philippines is developing its medical tourism industry to compete in other top Asian destinations for health tourism such as Singapore and Thailand. The efforts to develop and promote the country’s medical tourism are shared by the private and the government sectors in the country.

In Bacolod City, there is an on-going reflexology training at the New Government Center. The city government is offering the training as a program that will help boost the medical tourism industry in the city and in the country. According to Wilson Gamboa, a councilor in Bacolod City, trainings like this will help attract foreign patients to the country and will also provide alternative livelihood for the participants. Gamboa noted the growing trend of visiting health spas for relaxation and overall health. He doesn’t see the demand for massage therapists ebbing any time soon. Medical tourism covers not just medical treatments but also other services related to rest and relaxation to help patients recover faster.

The skills of the participants attending the event will be assessed by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). The participants’ assessment fee of P 500, needed so that TESDA can recognize their skills, will be shouldered by the office of TESDA Provincial Director Yolanda Porschwitz. TESDA is the government agency that is tasked to develop technical skills in the Philippines. The agency offers technical courses to Filipinos aged 15-55 years old to turn them into skilled workers so that they can become world-class workers that can meet the expectations of employers.