Metro Pacific takes on agile hospital network expansion

TOKYO, Japan — Metro Pacific Health Corp., a Metro Pacific Investments Corp. or MPIC unit, is targeting to grow a network composed of 40 hospitals in the next two years or by 2025.

During a press briefing here, MPIC chief finance, risk, and sustainability officer Chaye A. Cabal-Revilla disclosed that the company will pour in significant investments for the plan.

To achieve the target, she said MPH would need to acquire 15 more hospitals in 2024 and 2025 on top of the two new hospitals this year.

"The target is 40 hospitals in the next two years. The logic there is if it's bigger, it will take us a bit longer to do due diligence. If it's smaller, it is faster. We have acquired most of the big ones so we are now targeting smaller hospitals, regionals," Cabal-Revilla said.

According to her, MPH's expansion will focus on reaching areas, especially in provinces, where there are no hospitals to cater to the people's needs.

Just last month, MPH completed the buyout of a 60.88 percent stake in Lucena United Doctors Inc. which owns and operates the Lucena United Doctors Hospital and Medical Center.

The deal involving healthcare facility and medical services upgrades, as per MPH, was close to a decade in the making.

Aside from LUDHMC, the MPH group of premier hospitals includes Makati Medical Center, Asian Hospital and Medical Center, Cardinal Santos Medical Center, and Manila Doctors Hospital, among others.

To date, MPH has 23 hospitals, 26 outpatient care Centers, six cancer care centers, two allied health colleges, and a centralized laboratory under its portfolio.