An internet friend Louden recently wrote on his blog Life in the Philippines about a trip to the dentist where he lives in the Philippines. He covered the visit very well and covered the major advantages and disadvantages of getting his work done there. This got me thinking about medical tourism in the Philippines and getting healthcare in the Philippines.

Medical tourism can be defined as when a person travels from their home country to another country for the specific reason of getting medical, dental, and surgical care. More often than not, the medical tourist travels from a more developed country to a lesser developed country due to currency exchange rates. Economic conditions such as a recession also factor into the rate of medical tourism. When an economy is suffering, as the U.S. is experiencing right now, you will see more examples of medical tourism.

Most of the procedures that are performed are done with the latest technology in hospitals and clinics that rival the ones in their own countries. Some of the most common procedures are cosmetic surgery, dermatology, weight loss, and dentistry. One example I’ve read about is knee replacement surgery, which could cost you up to $50,000 in the United States. The price is around $5,000 in the Philippines and this surgery is done by surgeons usually trained at the same place as the U.S. doctors.

My wife and I have not needed any major surgery lately but since we spend time between the U.S. and Philippines we try to schedule our dental and optometry visits when we are in the Philippines. Not only are the check- ups much cheaper but our eyeglasses are half the price that we can get them for, even at the discount eyecarewebsites.

Medical tourism in Asia is on the rise with countries such as Thailand and Singapore trying to lure the medical tourists to their own countries but the Philippines is still considered the best due to their facilities. Check out the various websites that are specifically targeted towards medical tourism for more information.

When you travel or move from one country to another culture plays a big part in how your move or visit will go. It is best to read any material that gives examples and warnings about what you will experience and how some things should be handled. That is why I am a daily visitor to what I consider to be the top site on such issues. My friend Bob Martin’s site Live in the Philippines will cover everything you would want to know if you are an American moving to the Philippines. It covers everything from family relationships to handling money to learning the language and more. Want to know about Filipino food, this site covers it along with banking, places to travel and Philippine politics. Bob is a published author of books such as 49 Ways to Earn a Living In the Philippines and Retire Like a King which explain how to not only live a good life in the Philippines but start a business. I have been using 49 Ways since it was published to set up my business I will be doing after the move. There are also other authors on this site that give different perspectives of life in the Philippines. A few of them are not Americans so if you are from a different country than the US you may find an author from your country.

Another site that assists ex-pats moving to the Philippines is Untwisted Vortex. Run by R.T. Cunningham, a retired US Marine, this site not only addresses the transition of a move from the US to the Philippines, it also has some very good ideas on making money from a blog. Like the previous site I recommended Untwisted Vortex talks about cultural differences and places to visit in the Philippines. I can relate to R.T.’s experiences because like him I got my first taste of the Philippines through the US military.

Ken and Prelia’s Virtual World is another of my regularly visited sites. Webmaster Ken Rice has put together a very informative site about the Philippines. I don’t believe this couple lives full time in the Philippines but spend a good part there and the rest of the year in the US. My wife and I will probably do the same for the first few years so we can spend time with our grown up kids and our Grandkids. But after the first few years we will be spending more time in the Philippines and less time in the US. One of the highlights of Ken and Prelia’s site are the photos and videos of the Philippines especially Clark Air Base in the 80’s and 90’s. Angeles City was one of my old stomping grounds in the days of my youth and I have spent literally hours viewing the photos and videos on this site.

 Check this blog in the coming days as Part III will cover other sites that have helped me learn about the Philippines.