President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. meets John Starcher, President and CEO of BSMH (second from left), announcing his plans to expand operations in the Philippines. 
BUSINESS

US healthcare giant eyes major expansion in Phl

Raffy Ayeng

Healthcare giant Bon Secours Mercy Health (BSMH) is eyeing an expansion in the Philippines, with plans to invest between $300 million and $500 million to develop a premium, state-of-the-art tertiary hospital.

This was announced by BSMH President and CEO John Starcher during his meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs Secretary Frederick Go on Monday in Washington, D.C.

The Cincinnati, Ohio-based BSMH currently operates in the Philippines through its Global Business Services (GBS) unit.

BSMH is one of the world’s largest not-for-profit health systems, with more than 50 hospitals and 1,200 care sites across the US and Ireland, supported by a global workforce of over 60,000.

The company reported $5 billion in revenues as of mid-2025 and has established a presence in the Philippines through subsidiaries such as Nordic, which provides IT services, and BSMH Philippines, which delivers back-end support for global operations.

From a current team of 170 members, BSMH plans to expand its GBS operations in Manila to around 1,200 professionals, creating more high-quality jobs for Filipino talent.

The Manila center will operate in tandem with BSMH’s US-based teams to boost the organization’s non-patient-facing capabilities and fulfill its mission.

“As a $13-billion integrated Catholic health delivery system based in the United States, we’re proud to expand our global reach and deepen our existing commitment in the Philippines,” said Starcher.

The proposed public-private partnership is expected to deliver mutual benefits, including modern healthcare facilities and premium medical services to the growing Filipino population, while reinforcing BSMH’s global workforce.

If realized, the plan would mark one of the largest healthcare investments by a US-based provider in the Philippines, underscoring the country’s strategic role in healthcare innovation, infrastructure development, and talent growth.

“After meeting with President Marcos Jr. today, we are excited to begin the aggressive exploration of developing state‐of‐the‐art healthcare delivery services to provide unique, premium access to the Filipinos and our associates,” Starcher added.

“That said, I couldn’t be more bullish on bringing new, premium healthcare services to the Philippines.”

Secretary Go, for his part, welcomed BSMH’s expansion and investment plans.

“This is a strong vote of confidence in the Philippines and a transformative opportunity for our healthcare and services sectors. We will work closely with BSMH to help turn their plans into reality. Their investment will generate meaningful jobs and help deliver world-class facilities, advanced medical equipment, and high-quality healthcare for the Filipino people,” Go said.