Chang Gung Hospital targets bigger Philippine patient base

It’s focusing on cancer care and advanced surgery.

Taiwan’s Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (CGMH)-Linkou is seeking a larger foothold in the Philippine market through a partnership with Ayala Healthcare Holdings, Inc. (AC Health), aiming to increase patient referrals from Southeast Asia.

Cancer treatment and advanced surgery will be central to the push, said Jacob See-Tong Pang, chairman at CGMH’s International Medical Center, told Healthcare Asia. “Patients needing specialised care can be referred to us, or we could offer teleconsultations,” he said via Zoom.

He expects the tie-up with AC Health to streamline referrals over time, with initial assessments done in the Philippines and follow-up treatment coordinated in Taiwan.

Chinese visitors remain CGMH’s biggest international patient group, whilst Filipino patients make up only a small share of the hospital’s foreign caseload. “We’re looking to explore opportunities with more Philippine hospitals,” Pang said.

CGMH already maintains referral networks across Southeast Asia, with rising demand from Cambodia and Malaysia. Vietnam and Hong Kong continue to provide steady patient numbers.

Pang said advanced oncology services would drive regional interest, particularly proton beam therapy, a highly precise way to target tumours that CGMH introduced in 2015. The hospital has treated about 7,500 patients with the tech and built a database to track outcomes.

Under the partnership, AC Health’s Healthway Cancer Care Hospital (HCCH) will refer eligible patients for proton beam therapy to CGMH, using shared protocols and care coordinators from both sides to handle logistics and other needs, AC Health said in a statement posted on its website.

The hospitals will hold virtual meetings to let doctors share knowledge and discuss complex cases. They will also offer training opportunities for HCCH doctors at CGMH, focusing on radiation oncology and proton beam therapy.

CGMH is also expanding cell-based therapies developed in its own lab and offering single-port robotic surgery, introduced shortly after its adoption in Japan and Korea, Pang said.

To support these programs, CGMH sends staff to the US, Europe, and Australia for training and offers scholarships to build international expertise.

The hospital is also advancing its use of artificial intelligence across its 11 facilities. It has fully digitalised prescriptions and medical records within its integrated traditional Chinese medicine service, with broader applications under study.