Healthcare, minus the hospital feel

For many people struggling with anxiety, depression and other mental health concerns, seeking professional help can still feel daunting. Beyond the challenge of opening up about their condition, there remains the fear of being judged or stigmatized simply for walking into a hospital or clinic. Today, however, healthcare spaces are evolving to become more discreet, welcoming, and centered on wellness rather than illness alone.

At Makati Medical Center’s (MakatiMed) Wellness Hub, consultations and diagnostic screenings take place in a comfortable, lifestyle-oriented environment designed to feel less clinical and more reassuring. Here, a visit does not immediately signal why a person has come—whether for a routine checkup, preventive screening, or mental health consultation—giving patients a greater sense of privacy, ease, and peace of mind.

Mental health is wealth

Recognizing the growing demand for mental health support, MakatiMed made mental wellness an essential component of its Wellness Hub.

“This is not about mental illness—it’s about mental wellness,” says Arlyn Songco, senior vice president and division head of MakatiMed’s creative, communication, and sales department. “Seeing a doctor for your mental well-being should be as normal as going for a regular checkup.”

Songco notes that more people, especially younger patients, are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of mental care. “The younger generation faces very different pressures from what we experienced growing up,” she says. “There are so many changes happening today, so we assembled a team of experts who can properly support and guide them.”

Designed with privacy and discretion in mind, the facility intentionally avoids labels that may make patients uncomfortable. Consultation rooms, for instance, are simply labeled “consultation rooms,” allowing patients—especially adolescents and young adults—to seek help without feeling singled out or stigmatized. “When patients come here, people simply think they’re having a checkup,” Songco explains.

The Wellness Hub also addresses one of the biggest challenges in mental healthcare today: accessibility. “Accessibility to psychiatrists is one of the hardest things right now, so we made sure patients here can access that kind of support more easily,” she adds.

“We want people to see mental wellness as part of overall health—something you maintain, not something you only address when things go wrong.”

Beyond consultations, the MakatiMed Wellness Hub offers individualized psychological assessments, counseling, and therapy sessions. The setup also allows easier referrals to NeuroPsychiatry specialists when needed, ensuring patients receive timely and seamless care.

High-grade executive checkups in a hotel-like setting

Aside from mental wellness services, the Wellness Hub also reimagines the traditional executive checkup experience—transforming what many consider a tedious medical obligation into something more seamless, efficient and comfortable.

Located on the seventh floor of Ayala North Exchange’s Tower 1, a short walk from the hospital, the full-service outpatient facility conducts executive health checkups (EHCU) in a relaxing environment with the look and feel of a spa or boutique hotel.

An executive health checkup is a comprehensive evaluation based on a series of general and advanced screening tests. For physicians, it serves as both a baseline and a regular monitoring tool for a patient’s health status, while also helping detect illnesses and diseases before symptoms appear.

The challenge, however, is that while many people understand the importance of preventive screening, not everyone is willing to undergo one unless they already feel unwell.

In a 2023 survey conducted by research and intelligence agency Capstone-Intel, only 40 percent of respondents said they undergo annual medical checkups, while 33 percent seek consultation only after symptoms arise. This places many individuals at risk of developing preventable diseases and delays treatment for conditions that could have been addressed much earlier.

At the Wellness Hub, each patient is assisted by an executive liaison officer tasked with ensuring a smooth and stress-free EHCU experience.

“We’re a one-stop shop at a higher level,” says Songco. “For people who don’t like going to hospitals because they’re not sick, this addresses their need to get a wellness check.”

The facility has its own laboratory to collect and process blood and other specimens, along with advanced diagnostic equipment for screening the heart, bones, abdomen, thyroid, liver, kidneys, musculoskeletal system, breasts and women’s reproductive health.

According to Dr. Ryan Raymond Bautista, head of MakatiMed WellnessHub, patients also gain access to some of today’s most advanced diagnostic technologies. Among these are high-resolution breast imaging systems that deliver clearer results using low-dose radiation, as well as specialized ultrasound machines for breast, abdominal, thyroid, kidney, vascular and musculoskeletal screening.

The MakatiMed WellnessHub also houses a Skin & Laser Hub equipped with modern technologies for skin, nail, hair and body treatments. Among them are the skin-rejuvenating Alma Hybrid and the DermaGrafix Body Mapping Solution, which can detect potentially cancerous skin lesions from head to toe.

When asked what sets the MakatiMed Wellness Hub apart from similar facilities in other hospitals, MakatiMed medical director and interim co-president and CEO Dr. Saturnino Javier points to the institution’s longstanding reputation for patient care.

“I think the biggest difference is that you’re dealing with Makati Medical Center,” Javier says. “We already have the reputation and the track record. Other facilities may offer similar services, but the level of comfort and convenience here is different.”

MakatiMed’s board-certified doctors serve as in-house physicians of the hub. Specialists in family medicine, occupational medicine, dental medicine, internal medicine, cardiology, obstetrics and gynecology, radiology, neuropsychiatry and psychology are on board to provide expert diagnosis, the latest treatment options, and compassionate care.

More than redefining the hospital experience, the MakatiMed Wellness Hub is redefining how people approach health itself: proactively, privately, and without fear.