GE, Ayala urge more collaboration on healthcare issues

Global digital industrial giant GE and the country’s oldest conglomerate Ayala Corp. are calling for closer collaboration between the public and private sector in order to achieve the new administration’s target to provide Filipinos with wider access to healthcare.

Among the government priorities laid out by Health Secretary Paulyn Rosell-Ubial during the National Health Summit last September include the full implementation of the Reproductive Health Law, insurance coverage for all Filipinos, and healthcare at lower costs.

“By ensuring accessible and quality healthcare for everyone, the government is making investments that can build and sustain economic prosperity in the country,” said Ivan Arota, Philippine country manager of GE Healthcare.

“Over the years, we have made significant advances in improving our country’s healthcare system, but a lot of work still lies ahead. If both the public and private sectors work together, we can close more healthcare gaps by 2022,” Arota added.

The Ayala Group, for its part, has started making strides in building a functional network of health facilities that can easily respond to people’s needs.

Through Ayala Healthcare Holdings Inc.’s FamilyDOC, the conglomerate has built a chain of community- based primary care clinics targeted toward the growing middle class.

FamilyDOC combines the services of an outpatient clinic, a diagnostic facility, and a pharmacy.

“An effective way to enhance health system responsiveness is to make quality healthcare services available in communities. We believe FamilyDOC can complement government services by offering affordable primary care.

Through our clinics, Ayala Health aims to close the gaps of access and affordability in health,” Ayala Healthcare medical director Michael Santos said.

Combining government undertakings with innovative delivery models which Ayala Healthcare provides and advanced technologies GE offers, both firms said the Philippine healthcare system would get closer to getting its much needed boost.