Pangilinan-led MPH acquires 27th hospital

Manuel V. Pangilinan-led Metro Pacific Health Corp. (MPH) has cast its net further outside the capital region after investing in City of General Trias Doctors Medical Center Inc. (Gentri), expanding its network of private hospitals to 27.

In a statement over the weekend, MPH president Augusto Palisoc Jr. said the Cavite partnership was the company’s 16th provincial takeover and second in the province.

“As our network expands, we are attracting more hospital owners eager to collaborate with us, probably because of the marked improvements they see in the hospitals MPH invests in,” Palisoc said.

Gentri stands 2-kilometers away from the upcoming Cavite-Laguna Expressway Governor’s Drive toll exit.

MPH’s latest acquisition brings its hospital capacity to around 4,400 beds, 11,000 doctors and 16,000 health-care staff capable of caring for 4.1 million patients a year, according to the company.

Last month, MPH, the private hospital group of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC), said it had acquired a controlling stake in Diliman Doctors Hospital Inc. (DDHI) in Quezon City, representing its 26th hospital investment.

DDHI has a capacity of 165 beds and more than 500 medical practitioners serving residential subdivisions.

MPIC began its foray into the health-care industry in 2007 when it made an investment in Makati Medical Center.

The group’s other hospitals in Metro Manila include Asian Hospital and Medical Center, Cardinal Santos Medical Center and Manila Doctors Hospital.

In September, MPH also completed its takeover of San Francisco Doctors Hospital (SFDH) in Agusan del Sur province.

The acquisition of a 72-percent ownership in SFDH was done jointly with subsidiary Santos Clinic Inc., the operator of Manuel J. Santos Hospital in Butuan City.

Under the deal, both MPH and Santos Clinic are expected to “invest heavily” in the development and management of SFDH to help the latter expand its 100-bed capacity. —Meg J. Adonis