The history of medicine in the Philippines discusses the folk medicinal practices and the medical

applications used in Philippine society from the prehistoric times before the Spaniards were able to set a

firm foothold on the islands of the Philippines for over 300 years, to the transition from Spanish rule to

fifty-year American colonial embrace of the Philippines, and up to the establishment of the Philippine

Republic of the present. Although according to Dr. José Policarpio Bantug in his book A Short History of

Medicine in the Philippines During The Spanish Regime, 1565-1898 there were "no authentic monuments

have come down to us that indicate with some certainty early medical practices" regarding the

"beginnings of medicine in the Philippines" a historian from the United States named Edward Gaylord

Borne described that the Philippines became "ahead of all the other European colonies" in providing

healthcare to ill and invalid people during the start of the 17th century, a time period when the Philippines

was a colony of Spain. From the 17th and 18th centuries, there had been a "state-of-the-art medical and

pharmaceutical science" developed by Spanish friars based on Filipino curanderos (curandero being a

Spanish term for a Filipino "folk therapist") that was "unique to the [Philippine] islands."

The babaylans were the first healers within the tribal communities of ancient Philippines. Later

emerged folk doctors and the training and deployment of true medical practitioners as can be seen in the

progression of Philippine history. At present, medical personnel trained based on Western medicine - such

as Filipino nurses, physicians, physical therapists, pharmacists, surgeons among others - coexists with the

still thriving group of traditional healers that do not have formal education in scientific medicine who

often cater to people living in impoverished areas of the Philippines.

Health status has improved dramatically in the Philippines over the last forty years: infant

mortality has dropped by two thirds, the prevalence of communicable diseases has fallen and life

expectancy has increased to over 70 years. However, considerable inequities in health care access and

outcomes between socio-economic groups remain.

 A major driver of inequity is the high cost of accessing and using health care. The Philippines has

had a national health insurance agency – PhilHealth – since 1995 and incrementally increased population

coverage, but the limited breadth and depth of coverage has resulted in high-levels of out of pocket

payments. In July 2010 a major reform effort aimed at achieving ‘universal coverage’ was launched,

which focused on increasing the number of poor families enrolled in PhilHealth, providing a more

comprehensive benefits package and reducing or eliminating co-payments.

Attracting and retaining staff in under-served areas is key challenge. The Philippines is a major

exporter of health workers, yet some rural and poor areas still face critical shortages. Inefficiency in

service delivery persists as patient referral system and gatekeeping do not work well.

Successive reform efforts in financing, service delivery and regulation have attempted to tackle

these and other inefficiencies and inequalities in the health system. But implementation has been

challenged by the decentralized environment and the presence of a large private sector, often creating

fragmentation and variation in the quality of services across the country.

The Department of Health (DoH) lists 1,071 licensed private hospitals, and 721 public hospitals.

The Department takes care of 70 of the public hospitals while local government units and other state-run

agencies manage the rest.

Most hospitals provide efficient and affordable health services. Facilities, however, pale in

comparison with those in high-end health institutions abroad. On a positive note, private hospitals in the

country have better technical facilities than the public hospitals. Private hospitals thus assure patients of

higher quality service than public hospitals can provide.

Shopping malls are not traditional settings for healthcare delivery, but that may be changing. As

economic trends threaten the long-term viability of large, enclosed shopping centers, mall developers are

increasingly looking to new and innovative uses for existing spaces. Over the last 20 years, shopping

malls across the United States have experienced increasing rates of vacancy, and 19% of the 2,000
regional malls (defined in the mall industry as containing 300,000+ square feet of shopping space and at

least one major department store) in the United States are dead or dying.

The decline of shopping malls is occurring at the same time that healthcare needs are growing and

medical care is becoming more consumer-centric. For example, the focus on greater convenience for

patients is illustrated by the interest in retail clinics, same-day scheduling in physicians’ offices, and after-

hours care. As such, many hospital and physician groups view underutilized mall spaces as attractive

options for locating healthcare services and bringing services closer to their customers. In fact, the last 20

years has witnessed the growth of the “medical mall” model, where healthcare organizations repurpose an

entire mall or lease space within a mall to create a mixed-use medical/retail facility.

The provision of primary care in an aging society is a key issue worldwide. Increasing instance of

health insurance companies restricting payments to hospitals was one of the original forces that led to the

creation of medical malls nearly 20 years ago. The idea of offering a group of outpatient services together

under one roof was seen as a way to take some of the pressure off of hospitals having to serve a wide

variety of medical needs while patients are hospitalized.

Along with the growth of aged societies, in recent years, medical malls—clinics that are opened

to provide medical services effectively and efficiently by gathering multiple independent clinics or

dispensing pharmacies in the same building or area—have expanded across Philippines as a novel system

for the establishment of clinics. A medical mall is the medical version of a shopping mall with a superior

access environment from a patient standpoint.

CENTURIA Medical Makati was the country’s first and largest Medical Mall, a 28-story state-of-

the-art medical facility that has more than 600 industry leaders in healthcare. It houses experienced well-

trained doctors of various specialties that are affiliated with top HMOs, offering both traditional and

cutting-edge treatments at reasonable, affordable cost. Combining the technology and expertise of a
tertiary hospital with a luxurious, laid back ambience of a lifestyle mall, it is a one-stop shop for all

outpatient medical procedures and practices.

By offering a convenient and efficient alternative to emergency rooms and in-patient care for

medical treatment, the mall concept can play a role in lowering healthcare costs and potentially slow the

rise of health insurance premiums. The number of “out-of-pocket” patients is growing steadily, and could

potentially become the healthcare norm. The Medical Mall model offers hospitals, private practitioners &

specialists, and developers alike new market in which to better care for their patients.

As healthcare providers plan for the next 5, 10, and 20 years, it is critically important that they

look to new strategic partners who have the experience and passion of serving a consumer-minded patient

constituency.