MVP firm to expand outsourcing business

Manila, Philippines—A BPO firm belonging to the Pangilinan group is eyeing the expansion of its healthcare business, aiming to tap the country’s abundance of trained healthcare workers, particularly thousands of unemployed nursing graduates, to create new jobs

SPi Global Holdings officials said the demand for outsourced healthcare-related jobs is expected to continue to grow as hospitals in the United States
look for ways to cut costs without compromising quality.

“The amount of money being paid for medical procedures in the US is escalating. Hospitals are looking for ways to do it more efficiently,” said Mike Beninato, CEO of SPi’s healthcare arm.

“They are making wholesale shifts to outsource more work. Anything that makes sense to outsource will be outsourced,” he said.

He declined to give details, but said the Philippines would be an ideal area for expanding the company’s healthcare business with the country’s numerous healthcare college graduates.

Citing third-party estimates, he said there are currently 187,000 unemployed nurses in the Philippines.

“There’s a treasure trove of talent in the Philippines which you can’t get in the US,” he said.

Healthcare, which makes up about a third of the company’s yearly revenues, is one of SPi’s three main lines of business, despite having just 2,000 employees out of the firm’s total workforce of 14,000.

--- Paolo G. Montecillo

Source:  Philippine Daily Inquirer
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