AYALA Healthcare Holdings, Inc. (AC Health) said it will import medicines and other lifesaving technologies through its subsidiaries IE Medica and MedEthix, to be sold at Generika Drugstore pharmacies, as part of a partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to expand human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) care and prevention services in the Philippines.
Under the partnership, AC Health will onboard health service providers on the KonsultaMD telemedicine platform and expand HIV awareness and screening services beyond health facilities, the healthcare company said in an e-mailed statement on Wednesday.
For its part, USAID will support community engagement, provide technical assistance, and introduce private sector models for HIV service delivery. It will also train healthcare providers, share research, expand telehealth access through KonsultaMD, and coordinate with partners to provide free HIV self-testing kits.
“Our mission at AC Health is to make quality and affordable healthcare accessible to more Filipinos. Through our partnership with USAID, our dedicated teams at Healthway Medical Network, KonsultaMD, and Generika Drugstore have been equipped with specialized training to serve key populations affected by HIV,” AC Health Chairman Fernando Zobel de Ayala said.
“This collaboration brings us closer to bridging gaps in HIV prevention and testing, ensuring these critical services reach more communities nationwide,” he added.
The Department of Health (DoH) said the number of HIV cases is expected to hit 215,400 by the end of 2024. According to its recent report, males represent 94% of the 132,776 reported cases of people living with HIV (PLHIV), while females account for the remaining 6%, or 7,876 cases.
DoH Secretary Teodoro J. Herbosa called for collective action to combat the rising HIV cases during the official launch of the DoH’s “Undetectable = Untransmittable Campaign” on the 2024 Philippine World AIDS Day held on Dec. 1.
AC Health, the healthcare unit of Ayala Corp., has various interests in the healthcare sector. Its businesses include Generika Drugstore, St. Joseph Drug, pharmaceutical importer and distributor IE Medica and MedEthix, Healthway Medical Network, and KonsultaMD.
On Wednesday, Ayala Corp. shares fell by 0.15% or P1 to P649 per share. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
