Making health care accessible to all 

1Life Inc. is transforming health-care access for underserved Filipinos by simplifying the entire process, integrating advanced technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and tackling the “four-day problem.”

Their mission is clear: to drive early detection and disease prevention in the most efficient and affordable way possible, especially for the country’s most vulnerable. In just two years, they have reached nearly 1 million indigent patients across the Philippines. Remarkably, they’ve even facilitated peace in conflict zones through their health-care services.

In this interview, CEO Nino Namoco shares how 1Life is expanding its reach and embracing cutting-edge technologies to make health care more accessible to all.

Question: Can you explain the ‘four-day problem’ and how 1Life is effectively addressing this challenge to make health care more accessible?

Answer: The “four-day problem” refers to the time-consuming process that many indigent Filipinos face when seeking medical attention.

Day 1: Patients visit a health-care center to consult a doctor. Usually, the doctor would ask the patient to get their blood tests done outside so that the doctor can give a proper diagnosis. This means the patient needs to go home and fast before visiting the diagnostic center or laboratory.

Day 2: Patient visits a diagnostic center (usually a public hospital that can provide the services for free). Once blood is extracted, the patient has to go home and wait for three to five days for results to come out.

Day 3: Patient travels to pick up their results, then goes home.

Day 4: Patient lines up again to see the doctor who requested for the tests before they can finally get a diagnosis and the corresponding prescription.

That’s a minimum of four days that the patient is absent from work, not to mention the transportation and other costs related to commuting back and forth through this inefficient and disjointed health-care process.

At 1Life, we’ve cut this four-day problem down to just one hour. By building a proprietary community health management platform and finding the latest portable health-care technologies all over the world, patients can now undergo tests, receive a diagnosis and even pick up prescribed medicines all within an hour, making health care faster, more affordable, and much more accessible for those who need it most.

Q: In regions where health-care access has been limited for years, how does 1Life foster trust among communities and encourage them to use your services? Can you share some success stories that demonstrate this relationship-building approach?

A: At 1Life, trust is the cornerstone of everything we do. In regions where health-care access has been limited, we understand that simply providing services isn’t enough—what matters most is how we provide those services. That’s why we’ve built a culture of compassionate health care, where high-touch service is as important as the high-tech solutions we offer.

Our team is dedicated to treating every patient, whether they’re indigent or a paying VIP, with the same level of care, respect and dignity. We instill this mindset in our team from the very beginning through our dedicated division focused on training and culture. We ensure that every member of our team understands the importance of service with a smile and the mission-driven approach of caring for others, not just as a job but as a calling. The goal is to foster a genuine human connection with our patients, especially in underserved communities where trust in healthcare can be low.

For example, in one of the more remote regions we serve, health care was nearly nonexistent. Initially, locals were skeptical, wary of strangers offering services. However, our team’s approach—taking the time to understand the unique needs of the community, offering free consultations and demonstrating genuine care—began to build trust.

Over time, we saw people return for care and bring their families and neighbors. Our health-care workers didn’t just administer tests and hand out prescriptions—they built trust through their professionalism, and also connected with the patients by listening to people’s stories and creating a safe, welcoming environment for the patients.

Q: As you look to scale your operations nationwide, how do you plan to expand into more densely populated or urban areas where traditional health care is already available? What challenges do you anticipate, and how will you overcome them?

A: Actually, our services are currently already available in urban areas such as Metro Manila and other key cities nationwide. The four-day problem exists even in the highly urbanized areas. And while traditional health care is available in cities, our solution offers immediacy, convenience and affordability by bringing the four-day problem down to just one hour.

In addition, our presence in the highly urbanized and densely populated communities help decongest public hospitals because we can catch the life-threatening diseases early and are able to do early interventions to prevent the patients from getting complications where they may need to visit the public hospitals. Through our community engagement platform, we have the capability to decrease the health risks in the communities, and therefore reduce incidences of hospitalization.

Q: With the exciting integration of AI in diagnostics and patient engagement, how do you maintain a balance between leveraging high-tech solutions and ensuring patients still feel connected to the human side of health care?

A: While technology plays a critical role in improving diagnostic accuracy and streamlining patient care, we recognize the importance of human connection in health care. The AI tools we use—such as those for diagnostics and patient engagement—are designed to support, not replace, the human element of health care. For example, AI helps doctors process data faster and recommend more accurate treatments, but it’s the doctor who personally explains the diagnosis and builds rapport with the patient. Similarly, our patient engagement tool helps guide patients on their health journey, but it’s the human touch of our care team that ensures patients feel heard, supported and understood throughout their treatment process.

Q: As a social enterprise, how does 1Life ensure financial sustainability while keeping your services affordable for the most underserved communities in the Philippines?

A: At 1Life, financial sustainability and affordability are deeply tied to the efficiency of the health-care platform we’ve developed. We didn’t just adopt existing systems—we built our platform from the ground up, specifically designed to address the “fourday problem” and the unique health-care challenges in the Philippines. By integrating the latest portable diagnostic technologies into our platform, we’re able to streamline the entire health-care process, drastically reducing the time, cost and complexity of delivering care.

Our platform allows us to deliver comprehensive services—diagnostics, doctor consultations, prescriptions and even medicines—within a single, efficient visit. This not only reduces operational costs but also eliminates the multiple visits and travel expenses that typically discourage patients from seeking care. The use of cutting-edge technology ensures that we can scale our operations with minimal overhead, which translates into lower costs for the underserved communities we serve.

Additionally, by focusing on early detection and preventive care, we’re addressing health issues before they become more severe and expensive to treat. This proactive approach reduces long-term health-care costs for both individuals and the broader healthcare system, which helps sustain our operations in the long run. Through our platform, we’re able to provide affordable, high-quality care while maintaining a financially viable model that allows us to reinvest and expand our reach to more communities.

Q: What policy changes do you think the government could implement to improve health-care access for underserved Filipinos? Are there any initiatives that 1Life is actively working on with the government?

A: It is crucial for the government to prioritize the implementation of preventive and proactive early detection programs within communities. Shifting from a reactive health-care system, which addresses illnesses only after they become severe, to a proactive approach can dramatically improve public health outcomes and reduce the overall burden on the health-care system.

We advocate for government policies that incorporate regular community health screenings, widespread health education programs and the adoption of advanced portable diagnostic technologies for early diagnosis. These preventive initiatives not only improve individual health outcomes but also align with the broader goal of universal health care by ensuring that every Filipino has access to essential health-care services before their conditions worsen.

—CONTRIBUTED

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Josiah Go is the chair and chief innovation strategist of Mansmith and Fielders Inc. He coauthored “Marketing for Beginners: Start Strong, Succeed Fast” and “Entrepreneurship: The Four-Gate Model,” which both achieved No.1 status in their respective categories at National Book Store.