THE Philippines has huge potential in the health-care industry. In 2015 the Philippines was ranked eighth among the top medical tourism destinations in the world, according to a list compiled by the International Healthcare Research Center and the Medical Tourism Association.
Furthermore, the Department of Health (DOH) noted the Philippines has 62 hospitals around the country that are now internationally accredited.
To date, five Philippine medical institutions, namely, Asian Hospital and Medical Center (Muntinlupa City), Makati Medical Center (Makati City), St. Luke’s Medical Center (Global City and Quezon City) and The Medical City (Pasig City) have been certified as institutions for excellent medical care by the Joint Commission International (JCI)—one of the patient safety and quality health care accreditation and certification bodies in the world.
Interestingly, SPCastro Inc. (SPCI) has proven that it is capable of managing world-class local hospitals mentioned earlier. Salvador P. Castro, chairman and founder of SPCI, wondered earlier why Filipinos have not been given the job of managing health-care projects in the Philippines. An engineer by training, Castro refused to accept that Filipinos are not capable of doing the job. “When I was going home to Alabang several years back, I saw the announcement at the Asian Hospital indicating all project managers were foreigners,” Castro recalled in an interview with the BusinessMirror.
SPCI is the project manager of Asian Hospital, Medical City expansion and the St. Luke‘s Medical Center-Bonifacio Global City.
“Our country has so much potential both in terms of knowledge base and in the talent pool. Given the appropriate resource allocations and right opportunities, I am certain that we can make mark not only in health-care facility development but in the project management for other industries, as well,” Castro added.
During the 3rd Asia Healthcare Summit in Singapore held in May 2016, Castro was appointed as the moderator and acting chairman of the three-day summit. He was catapulted into the limelight when St. Luke’s presented not only its cutting-edge equipment but also its people-centric services to its patients to the participants.
“My company is a living witness to health-care development. People are not getting younger and their lifestyle is changing. If health care is not properly managed, there would be problems,” Castro emphasized. “We’re very fortunate that we are the only company that has managed internationally accredited hospitals in the Philippines,” he pointed out.
The project for the Asian Hospital was SPCI’s first major break in health-care management, followed by the Eye Center of the Philippine General Hospital.
Although he did not have a background management in health care, Castro approached the management of Asian Hospital asked them that he be allowed to assessment and evaluate the project. Later, he was proven right when he pointed the flaws in the construction.
His next major break came when SPCI won the bid to build the Eye Center of the Philippines General Hospital. Although the project was funded by the Spanish government, SPCI still won the bid to the build the project over foreign counterparts.
At present, SPCI is currently talking with a small hospital (100-bed capacity) to enable them to deliver quality service comparable with big hospitals. “We’re trying to bring in the same efficiency of a big hospital to a small hospital,’ he said.