Medilines Distributors Inc., a leading distributor of medical equipment in the Philippines,is planning to expand its presence as well as its product portfolio of quality medical devices amid the ongoing pandemic.
The firm said “The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a dramatic loss of human lives, placing an overwhelming pressure on the healthcare system and a call to act on the need for urgent care across all parts of the Philippines.”
Medilines, which has been playing an integral role in the healthcare industry for almost twenty years, responded to the call through the urgent deployment of critical medical equipment despite logistical challenges.
Founded in 2002, Medilines currently distributes world-renowned brands in healthcare, which include Siemens (Germany) for diagnostic imaging products, B. Braun (Germany) for dialysis machines, and Varian (USA) for cancer therapy devices.
“We are proud to be at the frontline of the country’s fight against COVID-19 through the urgent distribution of much needed equipment”, said Medilines Chairman Virgilio Villar who is the brother of billionaire Manuel B. Villar Jr.
Since the onset of the pandemic and despite strict lockdowns, Medilines has been deploying a significant number of COVID-related equipment, including CT scans and mobile x-rays, which help detect possible complications due to COVID-19.
They have also installed a total of 126 dialysis machines and 63 portable reverse osmosis machines in intensive care units (ICUs) across the Philippines.
The firm continues to equip hospitals with more dialysis machines as 30-50 percent of hospitalized COVID-19 patients have shown to develop severe kidney injury from the infection.
Medilines faced logistical challenges most especially during the initial phase of the lockdown when inter-region transport was severely hampered.
Team coordination with customers and partners persisted despite the slowdown, allowing for immediate deployment of the life-saving medical equipment upon the issuance of IATF protocols.
“Our goal has always been to provide Filipinos with world-class medical equipment in their time of need and this stays true in the current situation,” says Villar.
He added that, “As the pandemic drags on, we will remain steadfast in our commitment to make critical equipment available to primary providers of COVID-19 care wherever in the country they may be.”
Medilines’ said its adaptiveness to the logistical demands of the healthcare industry is attributed to the company’s established operational expertise and strong distribution network and capability.