Santos: Welcoming the plan to establish a hospital in Qatar to be managed by Filipinos.
PICTURE: Jayaram

By Peter Alagos
Business Reporter


Providing health and medical services are among the areas the Philippine private sector could develop as niche industries in Qatar, Philippine Ambassador Wilfredo Santos said.
Santos was referring to plans to establish a private hospital in Qatar that would be run and managed by Filipino health and medical professionals. It was presented to several Qatari investors by a group of Filipino doctors, who visited Qatar recently.
“We should focus on areas where we have a niche or a particular skill. In this case, it is in the medical field; our doctors are known worldwide for their work ethics and their capabilities. We both have very competent doctors and nurses and other allied medical personnel who are employed not only in the Middle East but also in other countries like the US and the UK.
“We should concentrate on these areas where we have a particular advantage in terms of skills, experience, and capability. I think this is the right direction for us, which is why we welcome the plan to establish a hospital in Qatar to be managed by Filipinos,” Santos told Gulf Times.
Earlier, Dr Jose Tiongco, chief executive officer of the Medical Mission Group Hospitals and Health Services Co-operative Philippines (MMGHHSCP), and his team met with leading players within the Qatari business community to discuss the plan.
Tiongco explained that Qatari investors are needed to infuse capital for the land, hospital building, and its facilities, while the establishment will be managed by Filipino doctors, nurses, and other hospital and administrative staff.Tiongco also stressed that the establishment of a Filipino hospital here addresses Qatar’s shortage of around 2,700 to 3,000 hospital beds. This was reiterated by Santos, who stressed that the hospital “will also ease the shortage in medical facilities in Qatar.”
“We can showcase our skills in the field of medicine and in running a hospital. I think this is a positive development because we will also contribute in providing medical services in Qatar.
“Not only we will be able to cater to the needs of our fellow Filipinos, but also to other nationalities, including Qataris that is why this is something that we welcome in the embassy. We welcome the infusion of development and more hospitals or polyclinics in the State of Qatar,” the ambassador stressed.
Philippine Business Council-Qatar (PBC-Q) chairman Greg Loayon told Gulf Times that McKinsey & Company identified in a report three drivers that impact the increasing demand for healthcare: population growth, ageing populations, and health risk factors and lifestyle diseases.
“The report noted that Qatar’s population grew at an average of 5.9% over the last five years (United Nations, World Population Prospects: The 2012 Revision). It also identified ageing populations, which require more medical care.
There are also health risk factors and increasing prevalence of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular related diseases. “For example, the World Bank reports that 19.8% of the population in Qatar between the ages of 20 and 79 has diabetes,” Loayon explained.
He said a McKinsey & Company survey of patient satisfaction revealed a rise in patient expectations in parallel to disease-based demand, with respondents citing “limited appointment hours and longer waiting times.”
“The report further cites the high number of expatriate health professionals in Qatar, with 69% expatriate physicians and 91% expatriate nurses. The Philippine hospital is therefore poised to add more of our brand of healthcare that is well-regarded around the world,” Loayon stressed.