The Philippines’ push to attract high-impact healthcare investments gains ground as Asian Hospital and Medical Center (AHMC), a Board of Investments (BOI)-registered enterprise, marks its first 100 cancer patients treated using the country’s first CyberKnife robotic radiosurgery system.
Approved by the BOI in 2025, the CyberKnife project underscores the agency’s strategy of promoting transformative investments that expand access to advanced, high-quality healthcare while strengthening the country’s medical capabilities.
BOI Executive Director for Investment Promotion Services Evariste M. Cagatan emphasized the project’s broader economic and social value.
“This is exactly the type of investment the BOI seeks to nurture—strategic, life-changing, and impactful. By supporting CyberKnife through fiscal incentives, we are helping bring world-class cancer treatment closer to Filipinos who previously had to go abroad,” she said.
Operated by AHMC’s Asian Cancer Institute (ACI), the facility uses a non-invasive, AI-guided platform that enables most patients to complete treatment in one to five sessions, often returning home the same day—significantly reducing both cost and disruption.
For ACI Executive Director Dr. Corazon Ngelangel, the milestone reflects both medical progress and improved patient access.
“Reaching over 100 CyberKnife patients means more Filipinos now have access to precise, less invasive cancer treatment right here at home. What was once only available overseas is now within reach,” she said.
Government-backed incentives have also played a critical role in improving affordability. By lowering operational costs, BOI support has enabled ACI to expand collaboration with PhilHealth, the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and other assistance programs.
Among the first 100 patients, all were covered by PhilHealth with varying levels of out-of-pocket expenses, while a portion received additional government medical assistance. Cases treated included both primary tumors—such as brain, liver, pancreas, lung, prostate, and head and neck—and metastatic lesions affecting the brain, spine, and lungs. Despite the complexity, CyberKnife demonstrated favorable clinical outcomes in over 70% of cases.
AHMC President and CEO Dr. Beaver Tamesis said the milestone validates the hospital’s investment decision.
“Introducing CyberKnife to the Philippines required both vision and conviction that Filipinos deserve the best cancer care. Reaching 100 patients confirms that this was the right investment—not just for our institution, but for the country,” he said.
CyberKnife is a real-time, image-guided radiation system capable of delivering highly targeted treatment with sub-millimeter accuracy in as little as 15 to 20 minutes. As the only system of its kind in the Philippines, it offers a non-surgical option that minimizes damage to healthy tissue and allows patients to resume normal activities shortly after treatment.
The project highlights how targeted government incentives can catalyze private sector investments in frontier healthcare technologies—positioning the Philippines as an emerging destination for advanced medical services while improving outcomes for Filipino patients.