THE Philippines is seeking to attract more investors from Taiwan to the healthcare information management services (HIMS) industry, a Taipei-based diplomat said.
Anthony B. Rivera, Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC) – Taipei director for commercial affairs, told participants at the recent BIO Asia Taiwan International Conference and Exhibition in Taipei of “a great opportunity” in investing in Philippine healthcare services to bring the industry to a more prominent role in the Asian healthcare value chain.
“The Philippines is known globally as a significant source of quality and innovative healthcare-related services. We look forward to developing engagements with the Taiwan market as it connects to other global markets engaged in HIMS,” Mr. Rivera said.
The Philippine delegation to the conference, which consisted of representatives from the PTIC, the Department of Trade and Industry’s Export Marketing Bureau (EMB), the Healthcare Information Management Association of the Philippines (HIMAP), and the Manila Economic and Cultural Office, met with their Taiwan counterparts to explore potential partnerships.
Trade Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual has identified HIMS as a priority industry within health and life sciences, with the industry’s revenue projected to grow between 7.3% and 10% to about $5 billion in 2022.
HIMAP, represented by Pointwest Innovation Corp. and Pi Health, Inc. — PiVOT CRO, showcased healthcare solutions and services during the conference. Their services include clinical trial management for drugs and medical services, revenue cycle management, end-to-end pharmacovigilance services, clinical data management, cloud migration, and robotic process automation services. Potential clients include the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and contract research industries.
EMB Director Christopher Lawrence S. Arnuco said that the Philippines wants to be a top destination for integrated services within the information technology and business process management (IT-BPM) industry, including the healthcare segment.
“Our IT-BPM sector is expanding to life sciences, robotics, big data, etc. to support a proactive and world-class end-to-end customer service experience. Philippine service providers showcase an innate culture of care that complement their strong human resource capabilities, and we aim to venture into new markets starting with Taiwan,” Mr. Arnuco said. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
