Posted on February 19, 2014 11:31:55
PM [ BusinessWorld Online ]
By Claire-Ann M. C. Feliciano,
Reporter
PROPERTY developer Ayala Land, Inc.
(ALI) and its partner Mercado General Hospital, Inc. (MGHI) will invest over P5
billion in the next five years to build hospitals and clinics across the
country under a new health care brand it launched yesterday.
The joint venture introduced QualiMed through the opening of its first
satellite clinic in TriNoma Mall in Quezon City. The move marks the group’s
foray into health care, which ALI officials said had been the missing component
in the company’s property developments until yesterday’s announcement.
“Aside from residential, shopping
center, office and hotel developments, we’re incorporating a hospital component
intended to complete the service offering for our mixed-use developments. The
strategic intent is to be of better service to the communities we serve,”
Antonino T. Aquino, Ayala Land president, told reporters in a briefing
yesterday.
Mr. Aquino said more QualiMed
satellite clinics will be built within Ayala properties and malls.
Specifically, the clinics will be
located in Ayala Fairview Terraces in Quezon City (to open in June); Metro
Point Mall in Pasay City (second quarter of 2014); UP Town Center in Quezon
City; and Cebu Business Park.
David Y. San Pedro, Ayala Land head
for corporate planning and international business development, said each clinic
entails an investment of P20 million to P30 million.
Complementing the satellite clinics
are hospitals, which would cater to a larger market, he added.
“We’re looking at around 1,000 beds in
five years. So that’s 10 new hospitals within the next five years. We certainly
intend to give the best service for our customers,” Mr. San Pedro said.
The joint venture will spend P500
million for each hospital that will be built, or a combined P5 billion over the
next five years to cover the cost of hospital beds and other medical equipment.
Mr. Aquino said four medical buildings
should be operational by the end of 2015 -- Iloilo (third quarter this year),
Ayala North Point in Bacolod City (first quarter); Nuvali in Laguna (third
quarter) and Altaraza in Bulacan (fourth quarter).
Six more hospitals will be built in
the next five years. They will be located in Alviera in Pampanga, Balintawak in
Quezon City and ARCA South in Taguig City, while the rest will be in Cavite,
Cebu and Davao.
“Phase two will involve big
developments. So we will launch these additional hospitals in the next five
years,” Mr. Aquino said.
ALI and its partner are positioning
themselves to be “one of the bigger players” in the health care industry.
“The strategy is try to make sure that
were going to be present in the prime locations,” Mr. Aquino said.
MGHI President Edwin M. Mercado said
QualiMed promises smoother transactions and cheaper rates.
“We will have the first health care
system wherein all records will be hosted by one system. At the same time, our
services will be more affordable,” he said.
“Our rates are 10% lower than premium
clinics, and 30-40% lower than premium hospitals,” Mr. Mercado added.
Last year, Ayala Land marked its foray
in the health care industry after it acquired Whiteknight Holdings, Inc., which
owns 33% of MGHI.
The investment in health care was
intended to complement Ayala Land’s real estate developments by providing
medical facilities to new and existing mixed-use communities.
MGHI currently owns and operates
hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers in Batangas, Cebu and Manila.
Meanwhile, Ayala Land is the property
developer arm of diversified conglomerate Ayala Corp.
Ayala Land shares were last traded at
P28.65 apiece, up P1.45 or 5.33% from Monday’s close.
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