THE healthcare arm of Ayala Corp. (AC), Ayala Healthcare Holdings, Inc. (AC Health), has tapped QualiMed to convert one of its facilities into a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) referral hospital.
AC Health signed the agreement with QualiMed yesterday assigning its hospital in Sta. Rosa, Laguna as a COVID-19 referral facility.
QualiMed operates four general hospitals, two surgery centers and several clinics across the Philippines. It is owned by Mercado General Hospital, Inc. in partnership with AC subsidiary Ayala Land, Inc.
The facility in Sta. Rosa which will be used as a COVID-19 referral hospital is a 102-bed general hospital located within Ayala Land’s Nuvali development complex.
With the assignment as a COVID-19 referral hospital, the facility will be developed by building a COVID-19 triage holding area next to the hospital, building a Biosafety Level 2 Laboratory for COVID-19 testing, converting inpatient beds of the facility for exclusive use of COVID-19 patients, expanding the bed capacity in its intensive care unit, and forming a dedicated COVID-19 team composed of professionals from QualiMed and AC Health’s FamilyDoc and Healthway networks.
The project is funded by AC’s different business units, namely Ayala Foundation; Ayala Land; BPI Foundation; AC Energy Philippines, Inc.; Manila Water Co., Inc.; Globe Telecom, Inc.; Integrated Micro-Electronics, Inc.; and AC Motors.
“We’ve come together at the Ayala Group to support this project so that patients can have a facility to go to, especially during these difficult times,” AC Health President and Chief Executive Officer Paolo Maximo F. Borromeo said in the statement.
QualiMed Sta. Rosa is now receiving COVID-19 referrals, but the upgraded facilities will be rolled out in phases starting May 1.
“As a referral institution, the facility will be compliant with infection control standards to ensure the safety of patients and medical professionals,” QualiMed President and Chief Executive Officer Edwin M. Mercado was quoted as saying in the statement.
Shares in AC at the stock exchange gained P9 or 1.51% to P606 each on Monday.
MEGAWIDE BUILDS QUARANTINE FACILITY
Meanwhile, volunteer employees and subcontractors of Megawide Construction Corp. are building emergency quarantine facilities (EQFs) to help reduce the crowding in Metro Manila’s major hospitals.
The team, composed of engineers, electricians, plumbers and carpenters, are building EQFs at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI), Fe Del Mundo Medical Center (FDMMC), Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital (DJNRMH) and Cardinal Santos Medical Center (CSMC).
“Our staff have committed to volunteer for a total of 12 days to build the EQFs, and we finished construction of the EQFS for FDMMC and NKTI on Day 5. We are targeting to complete construction for the DJNRMH and CSMC EQFs by Day 10,” Megawide Deputy Head for Construction Frederick T. Tan said in a statement.
The project is led by local architecture firm WTA Architecture + Design Studio, which aims to build almost 50 EQFs across Metro Manila and nearby provinces in its first two batches of rollout.
Aside from helping build quarantine facilities in hospitals, Megawide also previously donated a disinfection chamber to the local government of Quezon City. It also distributed alcohol, face masks, face shield and protective suits to various hospitals across Metro Manila.
Shares in Megawide at the stock exchange slipped 32 centavos or 4% to P7.68 each yesterday. — Denise A. Valdez
