Metro Pacific Health Corp., the country’s leading private hospital network, completed on Oct. 25, 2023, the acquisition of a 60.88-percent stake in Lucena United Doctors Inc. (LUDI), owner and operator of Lucena United Doctors Hospital and Medical Center (LUDHMC), following its launching of a tender offer for the balance 39.12-percent stake held by LUDI’s other shareholders.
LUDHMC is a Level 2, 95-bed hospital that has been serving the healthcare needs of Lucena and neighboring towns and municipalities in Quezon province. The hospital was founded in 1981 by a group of nine doctor-families and sits on almost a hectare of land in Barangay Isabang outside the congested city center, and closer to the thriving residential developments.
LUDHMC president Dr. Gerardo Carmelo Salazar expressed enthusiasm for the transaction. “We welcome MPH’s investment in LUDHMC as we believe that this partnership will bolster LUDHMC further in establishing itself as the undisputed leader in private healthcare in the province. We are confident that this will help perpetuate the legacies of our founders and bring LUDHMC closer to their dream of becoming a completely equipped, tertiary medical center serving the Quezon province,” said Salazar.
MPH corporate development director Jose Noel de la Paz lauded the completion of the investment. “Our investment in LUDI has been in discussion for almost 10 years, and we are excited to finally complete this transaction and start working with the LUDHMC community to expand the hospital and upgrade its medical capabilities. With this, it is our goal that residents of Quezon no longer need to go to Metro Manila for more advanced care,” he said.
“We are equally proud to promote and appoint one of our seasoned colleagues within the group, Maria Louzel Diaz-Tiozon, as LUDI’s president and CEO, bringing with her over 20 years of expertise in strategic human resource and general management in the financial services and healthcare industries. She has been with the MPH group since 2014, with her last position being vice president and head of human resources and member of the senior management team of Cardinal Santos Medical Center,” said de la Paz.
MPH CEO Dr. Harish Pillai underscored the strategic importance of the investment. “The integration of LUDHMC into the Metro Pacific Health group is a testament to our commitment to make quality healthcare more accessible and affordable for every Filipino. With the size and scale of our group, we will be able to leverage on shared resources and best practices that will bring the MPH standard of care to more communities outside of greater Metro Manila,” said Pillai.
LUDHMC is the 23rd hospital in the MPH network and the 5th hospital in Southern Luzon, following recent investments in Antipolo Doctors Hospital in Rizal and Medical Center Imus in Cavite, in addition to Calamba Medical Center and Los Baños Doctors Hospital in Laguna.
LUDHMC joins other premier hospitals within the MPH group including Makati Medical Center, Asian Hospital and Medical Center, Cardinal Santos Medical Center, Manila Doctors Hospital, De Los Santos Medical Center, Commonwealth Hospital and Medical Center, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Marikina Valley Medical Center, Jesus Delgado Memorial Hospital, Sacred Heart Hospital of Malolos, Central Luzon Doctors Hospital in Tarlac, Riverside Medical Center in Bacolod, Ramiro Community Hospital in Bohol, Davao Doctors Hospital in Davao, St. Elizabeth Hospital and Howard Hubbard Memorial Hospital in South Cotabato, Manuel J. Santos in Butuan and West Metro Medical Center in Zamboanga.