Dubai-based firm banks on PH healthcare industry

ASTER DM Healthcare, a leading medical conglomerate in India and the Middle East, has invested P250 million to set up its first clinic in the Philippines, marking the entry of a strong global player in the local healthcare industry.

The company on Wednesday inaugurated its first facility in the country—the Aster Medical and Diagnostic Clinic, located at the St. Francis Square in Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City. The opening of this facility, which offers quality healthcare and services at an affordable price, also marked the company’s first foray in Southeast Asia.

“We have made an initial investment of P250 million (or about $5.3 million) in the Philippines to build a network of ambulatory clinics that will be synonymous with quality, affordability and accessibility. Keeping in mind the growing need for hospital facilities in the Philippines, especially for cardiac diseases and cancer care, we hope to be able to extend our network from primary care facilities to secondary and tertiary care facilities in the future,” said Alisha Moopen, Aster DM Healthcare executive director and group CEO for hospitals and clinics.

The Aster Clinic in Ortigas is expected to cater to the mid segment of the population, or those typically employed and have some form of coverage from health maintenance organizations (HMOs), said Aster DM Healthcare Philippines country manager Joyce Alumno.

“In UAE, we are able to cater to different markets under different brands, which we eventually hope to do in the Philippines,” Alumno said.

In the next five years, Aster DM Healthcare plans to further expand to more locations in the Philippines as it eyes opportunities in medical tourism.

While the Ortigas clinic is Aster DM Healthcare’s first business venture in the Philippines, the group has long been present in the country through its charity arm, the Dr. Moopen (DM) Foundation. The foundation earlier launched Save the Little Hearts program, which conducted surgeries for children born with congenital heart defects.

“We have been in the Philippines for the last three years giving free heart surgeries to underprivileged children. Setting up clinics and hospitals is something that we have been doing in the past 28 years across the Gulf Cooperation Council region, Middle East, and India, and we are hoping to do the same in the Philippines,” Alumno said.