Ayala takes over QualiMed

MANILA, Philippines—The Ayala group has raised its stake in the health care sector—which is on the frontline of the prolonged fight against the COVID-19 pandemic—with the completion of a deal to take over the QualiMed hospital chain.

Ayala Healthcare Holdings Inc. (AC Health), through Healthway Philippines Inc., has completed its acquisition of a majority stake of Mercado General Hospital Inc. (MGHI), which owns and operates the QualiMed Health Network.

“The addition of QualiMed into the AC Health network comes at an opportune time, now that health has become top of mind for all of us,” said Jimmy Ysmael, newly appointed president and CEO of QualiMed.

“QualiMed helps complete AC Health’s service delivery network by providing health care at the tertiary level, and by expanding its portfolio of specialty clinics,” Ysmael said.

“We have big ambitions for QualiMed,” he said.

“This year our focus will be on integration to drive QualiMed’s clinical, operational and financial performance, building on the strong foundation established under Dr. Mercado’s leadership” Ysmael added.

With this acquisition, AC Health’s clinics and hospitals portfolio will now include QualiMed’s four general hospitals, more than 85 outpatient clinics and 80 corporate clinics under the Healthway brand, and the country’s first specialty cancer hospital, which is set to open in 2023.

“We are excited and honored to be part of the AC Health family,” said Edwin Mercado, founding president and CEO of QualiMed.

“Over the years, we have worked hard to establish the QualiMed Health Network as a trusted provider of affordable and accessible healthcare,” Mercado said.

“This is a common vision that we share with AC Health, and we look forward to becoming even stronger now that we are part of a broader health care ecosystem,” he said.

“We are also excited to develop synergies with the AC Health family, including a stronger pharma supply chain, digital integration, and our upcoming COVID-19 vaccination program” Mercado added.

The QualiMed Health Network will be housed under Healthway, along with the family, multi-specialty, and corporate clinics, and the specialty cancer hospital.

TSB