AYALA-led Healthway Philippines Inc., and its pharmaceutical importation and distribution arms, IE Medica and MedEthix, entered into a partnership with AC Logistics Inc. subsidiary Integrated Waste Management Inc. (IWMI) for the proper handling of waste.
IWMI now handles all the medical waste management of the entire AC Health group, starting with Generika Drugstore in 2022, through this newly-signed agreement.
Leveraging IWMI’s expertise in hazardous and hospital waste management, Healthway and IE Medica and MedEthix have contracted their fellow Ayala business unit as its waste hauler across all its facilities, including its QualiMed hospitals and Healthway Multispecialty clinics, starting this year.
“Translating our environmental, social and governance commitments into action remains one of our top priorities,” Ayala Healthcare Holdings Inc. President and CEO Paolo Maximo F. Borromeo said.
“This partnership with IWMI is only the first step in our efforts to champion sustainability throughout our entire healthcare network, and I am thrilled to be working with IWMI and AC Logistics in this endeavor,” Borromeo said.
For his part, Healthways President and CEO Jaime E. Ysmael said that while the firm “cares a lot about the welfare of our patients and our people, we, likewise, care a lot about the environment to ensure that it is preserved and enhanced for the benefit of our children and the generations to come.”
Ysmael reiterated the firm’s commitment “to environmental protection through various initiatives on energy, water and waste management.”
“This partnership with IWMI for the efficient and environmentally friendly management of hazardous wastes in all our healthcare facilities further strengthens our ecosystem’s resolve to ensure the safety of our patients, staff, and the communities we serve, and our commitment towards sustainability,” he added.
IWMI said it is one of the leading waste management companies in the Philippines, offering full waste management solutions from transport, treatment, disposal, processing, and documentation, further specializing in managing hazardous, medical and electronic wastes.
IWMI President Cezar Christopher Gregory G. Pacheco Jr. said they “understand the impact of proper waste management on our people and our planet.”
“Responsibly handling hazardous and medical waste is not an easy feat, so we will make sure to be AC Health’s trusted and reliable partner that its subsidiaries can count on in every step of the process – from transport operations, plant operations, waste treatment, and documentation,” Pacheco said. He added they are “looking forward to helping Healthway, IE Medica, and MedEthix achieve their sustainability commitments.”
AC Logistics President and CEO Jose Rene Gregory D. Almendras described the partnership with AC Health as a “manifestation” his firm’s vision, “which is rooted in sustainability.”
“For an advocacy driven solutions provider like IWMI, it’s not just about ‘waste hauling,” Almendras added. “Our team is determined to work with AC Health in shaping the country’s standards on how hazardous and clinical wastes should be managed.”