WITH the goal of providing Filipinos with access to quality health-care services and elevate the competencies of medical technologists (medtechs) in the country, Singapore Diagnostics (SGD) is building a new world-class facility in Metro Manila this year.
This state-of-the-art laboratory will not only serve more patients but also open employment opportunities and help upskill the local medtechs.
Currently, SGD has six labs nationwide, strategically located in Makati, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Dagupan and Angeles City. It also offers home service to bring medical care closer to the people.
As part of its expansion plans, the company is also looking forward to establish more facilities, up to 40 in the coming months. It’s eyeing to build more labs in every major city in the Philippines, each outfitted with multi-stage screening systems to ensure that both patients and employees are safe.
This is a welcome development considering the rampant inequity in the quality and availability of health-care service in the country. Topnotch medical care is, more often than not, only available in select private institutions. Hence, only the moneyed can afford this due to the exorbitant cost, not to mention that most health facilities are located in the Metro and a few select cities.
Given this scenario, SGD President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ritche Evidente believes that only one in 10 Filipinos has access to quality health-care services, with many having to settle for mediocre treatment and many more not receiving any cure at all. This situation is further exacerbated by the ensuing Covid-19 pandemic, according to him.
Superb, attainable diagnostic services
LAB results are the basis for many medical decisions. Hence, their delivery at high-quality and lower price is very crucial.
“Quality and affordable laboratory tests are very important because they help monitor changes in a patient’s health, and their doctors can work with them on any prevention, diagnosis, and treatment needed. Lab tests can help Filipinos be in the best of health,” Evidente said.
With this in mind, SGD, ever since it entered the domestic market in late 2013, has been offering various lab tests at rates within reach of Filipinos. In fact, it has been processing lab requirements for more than 500 hospitals, clinics, labs and health-care institutions in the country, serving up to 50,000 patients every month and running 2.5 million lab examinations at most annually.
“At Singapore Diagnostics, we have stringent and rigorous procedures in place to ensure that we deliver the most accurate laboratory results possible,” he boasted.
Capacitating local medtechs
THROUGH the years, the country’s health system has been facing a lot of challenges, including the lack of hospitals and allied facilities, costly services, and constant exodus of talents. Filipino medical professionals are consistently in-demand overseas because of their excellent talent and skills, per the top executive.
“We really cannot blame our health-care workers for wanting to seek greener pastures abroad,” Evidente noted. “Instead, we need to continue providing them excellent training so that we have a steady stream of professionals who can serve both local and international demands.”
This is exactly what SGD is doing for its over 200 medtechs across its various laboratories. A subsidiary of Pathology Asia, which is among Southeast Asia’s large medical diagnostic groups with laboratory, genomic and digital health operations in Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam, the firm provides Filipino medtechs with world-class training conducted by global experts.
Likewise, it grooms them to become internationally at par prior to working overseas, should they choose to. He said: “We need to help them in their professional training so that when they leave, they can make our country proud with their skills.”
In this way, SGD provides Filipino patients with well-educated practitioners and, at the same time, helps retain and boost the impeccable reputation of local talents in the health-care industry the world over. To wit, its highly-skilled roster of Filipino medtechs is a major factor why the company has been continuously accredited by the prestigious College of American Pathologists for its diagnostic services that are of top quality.
“Our well-trained professionals were trained experts with experience and credentials from all over the world. Nonetheless, even at that high level of quality, we also strongly believe in continuous training and monitoring to make improvements and elevate the health-care industry for Filipinos so they can get the help they need,” explained Evidente.
Collaborative efforts
CLICHE it may sound, but the Singaporean health-care provider believes that “the more, the merrier” in making quality of health-care services accessible to more Filipinos. Thus, SGD collaborates with partner-hospitals and laboratories for both lab work and personnel training.
Such alliances help provide the people, especially those in the provinces, with easier access to special tests or genetic examinations to detect diseases.
“Singapore Diagnostics is here to help other local laboratories, not to compete with them. We want to support the Filipino community and work together to elevate the country’s healthcare industry locally and internationally,” Evidente stressed.