GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 17 October) – After a marketing rebrand “as the heart of Filipino healthcare” on Friday, Metro Pacific Health (MPH), formerly known as Metro Pacific Hospital Holdings Inc., is aiming to offer accessible and affordable health care services in Mindanao by expanding its network of medical facilities on the island.

Augie Palisoc, MPH president, revealed the firm raised its previous target of 30 hospital network by 2030 to 40 in the next seven to eight years during the brand equity launch here.

MPH now operates a network of 19 hospitals and 22 outpatient care facilities, of which four and ten, respectively, are situated in Mindanao.

These four hospitals include the Davao Doctors Hospital in Davao City, West Metro Medical Center in Zamboanga City, St. Elizabeth Hospital in General Santos City and Manuel J. Santos Hospital in Butuan City.

Celso Bernard G. Lopez, chief executive officer and president of the four hospitals, said he is aiming that Mindanao will soon match the number of hospital network in the National Capital Region, which has currently nine hospitals.

“If I were to be asked, it would really be better to have more MPH hospitals in Mindanao. This island deserves a very good network of hospitals that provide affordable healthcare because when we have a very healthy community, they become a productive community, and ultimately that benefit will redound to the whole of Mindanao,” Lopez said.

He also underscored the benefit of being part of the network, such as the immediate transfer of knowledge, training and facilities across the hospitals, which are pivotal in delivering better quality health care services.

According to an MPH press release, another priority of the company is to bring down the cost of health care in the country so that more Filipinos can afford it. 

“As a group of hospitals, we can now be able to get better pricing on supplies, medicines and equipment that will ultimately end up making health care affordable to the communities [that we serve],” he added.

Lopez said that if given the opportunity, they would like to expand to the smaller islands of Mindanao, such as Siargao and Camiguin. (Ivy Marie Mangadlao / MindaNews)