QualiMed & affordable healthcare

Ayala Land is investing P2-B in the healthcare industry for the next 5 years. It recently opened its first mall-based surgery center at Fairview Terraces in Quezon City. Ayala's entry into the healthcare sector is via the brand Qualimed, a partnership with the Mercado General Hospital. The Asian Eye Institute has also joined the venture as it adds its first 'Eye Site' branch at the Qualimed clinic in Fairview.

Qualimed is expected to expand further, as they plan to open 10 hospitals and 10 clinics nationwide in the coming years. They will be opening in Ayala projects as they plan to include medical centers in future 'township' developments. Among the provinces where Qualimed hospitals are being built are Iloilo, Negros Occidental and Bulacan. Other areas include Cebu, Davao and Cavite.

Current & future QualiMed projects

What's interesting about this development is that Qualimed is targeted to the lower to middle income bracket. Ayala and Asian Eye Institute are premium brands normally catering to the high-end sector. But they say, they want to get a chunk of the middle class market since it's a very big segment and they also want to provide quality medical services at a fraction of the cost compared to premium hospitals and clinics. They say, they have government hospital pricing, but private hospital service.

It's good to see that more hospitals and clinics are being built. The Philippines has a growing population, yet there were very few hospitals that were built in recent years. It's also nice to see a top brand such as Ayala venturing into medical facilities, following the footsteps of Manny Pangilinan's Metro Pacific, which has already intensified its investments in the healthcare industry.

Hopefully, QualiMed lives up to its name of 'quality medicine or medical service'. And hoping they will continue to provide world class service at  an affordable rate, so more Filipinos can have access to medical services that are of international standards.

Watch my report on this topic that was aired on ANC. Click here.