Impact investor LeapFrog Investments and Philippine private equity firm Navegar have teamed up to bankroll the expansion of Global Care Medical Center (GCMC), wagering on surging demand for quality healthcare beyond the capital.
The undisclosed investment will finance new hospital builds, acquisitions of provincial facilities, and the widening of GCMC’s regional footprint—particularly outside Metro Manila, where access to advanced diagnostics and specialty care remains patchy. The deal is subject to customary closing conditions.
Chairman Ricardo Celino said the strategy is to go where the need is greatest. Expansion will be guided by local demand, targeting fast-growing provinces with limited tertiary care options.
As an early step, Global Medical Center of Laguna is set to unveil a new Medical Arts Building equipped with a catheterization laboratory, MRI capability, expanded dialysis services, additional clinics, and bed capacity rising to 120.
Founded in 2016, GCMC operates five hospitals—four general hospitals and a dedicated cancer center—with more than 300 licensed beds and over 670 affiliated doctors. A sixth hospital now under construction is expected to add roughly 150 beds, alongside specialty rollouts and selective acquisitions in priority provinces.
The transaction marks the first investment of LeapFrog in the Philippines and a push deeper into Southeast Asia’s healthcare opportunity. Partner Biju Mohandas framed the deal as a chance to scale affordable, high-quality care in underserved markets.
Navegar’s Juan Carlos Camara underscored GCMC’s disciplined, quality-led growth model as a foundation for long-term value creation.
Together, the backers are betting that regional healthcare—long overshadowed by Manila’s major hospital groups—will be the next frontier for inclusive growth.
