Ayala Land, Mercado launch ‘QualiMed’ healthcare chain

MANILA, Philippines — Ayala Land Inc. and the Mercado medical group are to invest over P5 billion to build a chain of hospitals and satellite clinics in the next five years under a new healthcare brand, “QualiMed.”

The “QualiMed” brand debuted on Wednesday with the opening of a 180-square-meter satellite clinic at the TriNoma mall in Quezon City, the first of 10 satellite clinics in the pipeline. On top of the smaller clinics that will provide outpatient services, the Ayala-Mercado partnership plans to develop 10 new hospitals to reach a total of capacity of at least 1,000 beds in the next five years.

“Our QualiMed joint venture supports our strategy of completing the offerings in our integrated mixed-use developments. They will be launched in most of our major communities, starting with Nuvali, Atria Iloilo, North Point Negros, and Altaraza Bulacan. For greater accessibility we will also have satellite clinics like this first one in TriNoma,” ALI president Antonino Aquino said.

“It has always been our vision as medical practitioners to provide quality medical care to as many Filipinos as we can possibly reach. We are in the middle of the journey and partnering with Ayala Land helped us take a big leap towards fulfilling this dream,” said Edwin Mercado, president of Mercado General Hospital Inc.

MGHI has almost six decades of experience in healthcare services. It pioneered an advanced multi-specialty, ambulatory surgical center in the UP Manila complex, and continues to operate the Daniel O. Mercado Medical Center in Batangas. It is recognized with a “Center for Excellence” seal by the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth).

Each new hospital will be built from scratch with a capacity of 100 to 150 beds, requiring an investment of around P500 million each, said David San Pedro, ALI head of corporate planning and international business development. On the other hand, each satellite clinic will cost around P20 to P30 million to build. The projected outlays include the cost of property, fit-out and equipment.

QualiMed’s first satellite clinic on the ground floor of Ayala’s TriNoma in Quezon City offers a comprehensive line of medical services, including cardiac, dental, pulmonary, and vaccination services, as well as diagnostic imaging and laboratory services. It is estimated to service around 200 patients per day, with a team of six doctors with different specializations attending to patients from 12 noon to 8 p.m.

Consultation fee at its satellite clinic is at P350 to P400.

Similar satellite clinics will be set up in other areas like UP Town Center, Fairview Terraces, Metropoint Pasay and Cebu Business Park.