Ayala Land goes into healthcare

MANILA, Philippines - Property giant Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) is muscling its way into the local healthcare industry with an investment of more than P5 billion to build new hospitals and clinics nationwide.

Newly-launched QualiMed, a joint venture between ALI and Mercado General Hospital Inc. (MGHI), will put up 1,000 beds over the next five years through 10 new hospitals and 10 satellite clinics, company officials said yesterday.

“Our QualiMed joint venture supports our strategy of completing the offerings in our integrated mixed-use developments,” said ALI president and CEO Antonino T. Aquino.

“The objective is to try to make sure we’ll be one of the major players (in the local healthcare sector),” he said.

David San Pedro, head for corporate planning of ALI, said QualiMed targets 1,000 beds in five years through the construction of 10 new hospital buildings and 10 new satellite clinics serving the middle class.

Capital spending could reach P5.3 billion as a 100- to 150-bed hospital will require around P500 million while satellite clinics need P20-30 million, he noted.

“They will be launched in most of our major communities, starting with Nuvali, Atria Iloilo, North Point Negros and Altaraza Bulacan,” Aquino said, adding that QualiMed satellite clinics will be launched in shopping centers for greater accessibility.

For the second phase of expansion, QualiMed hospitals will be put up in Alviera in Pampanga, Balintawak, Arca South in Taguig, Cavite, and business districts in Davao and Cebu. ALI opened yesterday it first healthcare facility located in Trinoma in Quezon City.

“It has always been our vision as medical practitioners to provide quality medical care to as many Filipinos as we can possibly reach,” said MGHI president Dr. Edwin Mercado. In July, ALI acquired the Mercado family’s Whiteknight Holdings Inc., which owns 33 percent of MGHI that has almost six decades of experience in healthcare services.

Aquino said successful mixed-use developments have medical facilities. Aside from residential developments, office space rentals and shopping centers, ALI has started offering convenience stores, department stores and supermarkets in its mixed-use projects.

Pangilinan-led Metro Pacific Investments Corp. is currently the largest healthcare group in the country with eight hospitals and a total capacity of 2,137 beds. It targets a bed capacity of 3,000 by acquiring one or two hospitals per year.

ALI, the listed property development arm of the Ayala conglomerate, is jacking up its capital spending to P70 billion this year as it commits to launch 78 projects worth P142 billion to ensure continuous growth in the coming years.