10 Hospitals, Ayala plans to build until 2019

Relatively new in the healthcare industry, listed property giant Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) is on track to rollout 10 hospitals across the country until 2019 as part of the first wave of its hospital venture that started more than a year ago.

Ayala Land chief finance officer Jaime Ysmael said in an interview that the company is still “in line with the plan” regarding its hospital venture.

“We intend to roll out 10… So the rollout program for hospitals is on track,” Ysmael said.

In order to build these 10 hospitals, the company will invest as much as P5 billion.

According to Ysmael, the hospital that the company is building in its mixed-use development in Laguna is now under construction as well as the other one in Arca South, which is an industrial estate owned by the company located at East Service Road, South Luzon Expressway, Taguig.

ALI is also going to build one in Cloverleaf, Balintawak.

The real estate company is in partnership with Whiteknight Holdings Inc. of the Mercado family for this healthcare venture.

ALI’s partnership with the Mercado group involves development of medical facilities under two formats, the clinic type of development inside the malls and stand-alone hospitals.

Each new hospital, which requires an investment of around P500 million, that will be built will have a capacity of 100 to 150 beds, while the satellite clinic format will cost around P20 to P30 million to build.

It was in February 2014 when ALI first announced its plans to build 10 new hospitals that should have combined amount of 1,000 beds as well as 10 clinics over a five-year span.

In January this year, ALI opened its first hospital located in Iloilo.

“We believe that healthcare is a very good compliment in the existing businesses that we have,” Ysmael said in a previous interview.

Aside from the ones in Nuvali, Laguna and Arca South, ALI will also put up a hospital in Bulacan, Bacolod, Cavite, Pampanga, Cebu, Davao, and other parts of Metro Manila. Qualimed is the flagship brand for the group’s healthcare portfolio.

As an initial offering, a QualiMed branch, which is located at the ground floor of Trinoma Mall in Quezon City, formally opened late last year.

Read more at http://www.mb.com.ph/ali-on-track-to-rollout-10-hospitals-until-2019/#w8EB6SZaGUl6Oboa.99