Elevating laboratory medicine: Maria Estella P Diokno

Maria Estella P Diokno is a visionary leader who has dedicated her career to advancing the field of laboratory medicine in the Philippines. After living in the United States for 26 years, she returned to the Philippines, bringing with her a deep passion for improving the country’s healthcare system.

In 2023, Diokno joined Medi Linx Laboratory, the centralized and reference laboratory of Metro Pacific Health and the largest network of private hospitals and healthcare facilities in the Philippines.

Leveraging her extensive 35-year background in laboratory and diagnostic services across the United States and the Philippines, she introduced various strategies to identify gaps; eliminate inefficiencies and redundancies; and realign workflows for optimal productivity, best patient outcomes and employee safety.

Emerging trends

During her first year as President and CEO, Diokno conducted a thorough strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats analysis of the business to quickly identify Medi Linx’s immense potential to become a leader in the healthcare sector.

"By August we started onboarding the first of 11 hospital laboratories we now manage," Diokno tells The CEO Magazine. "That’s what has kept the team and me busy in the last 18 months."

Under Diokno’s leadership, Medi Linx has made a substantial impact and now serves over 100 hospitals, clinics and dialysis centers. Yet her vision for growth goes beyond expansion to include enhancing access to laboratory services at the community level.

"We’re not just focused on optimizing the clinical laboratory operations of the hospitals around the Philippines, we’re also aiming to bring our services directly to communities," she explains.

"We’ve already launched CSR initiatives like offering HPV screenings for cervical cancer and PSA testing for prostate cancer. Now, we are exploring molecular testing and precision diagnostics to stay ahead of emerging healthcare trends."

Despite the challenges faced by Medi Linx, including the shortage of skilled medical laboratory scientists, Diokno remains confident and positive.

"What makes Medi Linx successful is our people. That’s why we are committed to employee engagement and leadership development programs that help our staff grow," she adds.

In an industry where precision is paramount, Medi Linx is integrating cutting-edge technology to stay at the forefront of healthcare innovation and demonstrate its commitment to CARE for its valued partners and patients.

The use of enterprise resource planning systems allows real-time visibility across multiple hospitals, ensuring seamless operations, while the introduction of Medi Linx’s Website Virtual Lab enables their walk-in patients to conveniently book and pay for their laboratory tests online.

Commitment to sustainability

As a leader in laboratory medicine, Medi Linx is also committed to sustainability. Diokno is spearheading initiatives to make the company the greenest laboratory in the country, including transitioning to a paperless operation and partnering with suppliers who prioritize low carbon footprints.

"We want to be responsible stewards of the environment," she says. "Sustainability isn’t just a trend; it’s an integral part of our future. We’re already rolling out point-of-care testing, and we’re collaborating with the Department of Health to contribute to universal healthcare initiatives."

One of Medi Linx’s most standout innovations is its specimen transport support service, which uses a specimen box to deliver the samples with precision and care, reinforcing the company’s commitment to quality and accuracy.

People and patients

For Diokno, excellence, not perfection, is the ultimate goal.

"In healthcare, there’s no room for mediocrity," she explains. "We must be excellent at all times because lives are at stake. My focus is on delivering the highest quality service with urgency and precision."

While Diokno’s expertise is undoubtedly evident in the field of laboratory medicine, her proficiency extends beyond technical competencies. She is also a strategic compass for the company with her two key priorities – people and patients.

Diokno’s leadership style heavily prioritizes empowering employees, which demonstrates how she values the people behind Medi Linx, their role in fulfilling the company’s vision of helping clinicians enhance patients’ lives and contributing towards nation-building.

By taking the lead in building such a collaborative work environment, Diokno has successfully created a family-like culture and a more productive professional environment where knowledge flourishes and challenges are overcome collectively.

Diokno’s patient-centered approach also guides Medi Linx in pursuing endeavors that help healthcare providers enhance their standard of operations. More significantly, she is able to lead the company toward purposeful services in harmony with a broader mission of making a lasting difference in the wellbeing of communities and the lives of every Filipino.