Texts by: Jennifer F. Manongdo and Ehcel S. Hurna

Photos by: Erlyn U. Pareja and Edwin Hermoso

A successful forging of partnership with UP Manila and AC Health. From left: UP College of Public Health Dean Sharon Yvette Angelina Villanueva, UP College of Pharmacy Dean Francis Capule, Former UP College of Allied and Medical Professions Dean Maria Eliza Aguila, UP Manila Chancellor Michael Tee, AC Health President and CEO Paolo Borromeo, Healthway Medical Network President and CEO Jaime Ysmael, and AC Health Chief Finance Officer Ruby Chiong.

The University of the Philippines Manila (UPM) and Ayala Healthcare Holdings, Inc. (AC Health) forged a partnership with the goal of strengthening UPM’s leadership in improving healthcare delivery in the country.

In the agreement signed on May 10, 2024, AC Health will open its doors to UP Manila students for clinical training, enhancing their fieldwork experience and culminating in the pre-internship level. Faculty members will also have the opportunity to conduct limited practice within AC Health’s facilities thereby increasing medical manpower in the Ayala Group’s hospitals and clinics. In turn, AC Health experts may serve as adjunct faculty members in relevant academic programs. 

Both parties agreed to collaborate on research activities, with AC Health providing access to its facilities and equipment at discounted rates for research purposes.

“As the national university, we in UP Manila not only teach, we also heal. UP Manila is a catalyst for improving the health of every Filipino. We do this through partnerships with universities in the country and globally,” UP Manila Chancellor Michael L. Tee said, referencing the institution’s AGILE approach to improving healthcare in the country encompassing the Academe, Government, Industry, Leadership, and Engagement.

The agreement also stipulates a scholarship program for students as well as technical writing workshops and research-related training.

AC Health, a subsidiary of the Ayala Corporation, operates across three core areas: pharmaceuticals (Generika, IE Medica, and MedEthix), hospitals and clinics (Healthway and QualiMed), and digital health services (KonsultaMD). The conglomerate had earlier collaborated with UP through the development of the UP-Ayala Land TechnoHub and the UP Town Center in Diliman, Quezon City.

“Through this partnership with UP Manila, we can leverage our combined expertise and resources to address the evolving needs of the healthcare sector and nurture the next generation of healthcare professionals,” said Paolo Borromeo, AC Health President and CEO during the MOA signing event held at the university’s Sotejo Hall at the College of Nursing.

To date, 17 medical colleges have conducted benchmarking initiatives with UP Manila, and is expected to increase as new nursing colleges emerge.

“The partnership between UP Manila College of Pharmacy and Ayala Health is a continuation of what the College and QualiMed have started in providing a venue for pharmacy students to perform patient medication counseling services in the Faculty Medical Arts Building (FMAB),” Francis R. Capule, Dean of the UP Manila College of Pharmacy stated.

Dean Capule recalled a previous study that explored pharmacy students’ participation in a university-based patient medication-counseling program, including sessions at the FMAB Internal Medicine Clinic. It revealed that the program offered valuable opportunities for students to detect and resolve drug therapy-related issues, foster interprofessional collaboration, and engage directly with patients.#