Healthcare professionals can access medical and scientific articles for free in the internet. Is there still a need for more? Yes. UMED-Science Information Management (SIM) knows the value of information. And Darya-Varia, Unilab’s subsidiary in Indonesia, seems to move along a similar path. The path to in-house information service.

In-house information service saves time and effort compared to obtaining information through the use of alternative sources. And if the information provided meets the expectation and needs of the researcher, information yields customer service. With the emergence of information technology, UMED-SIM took the necessary steps in building its own digital collection of electronic medical and scientific articles. About 9 years ago, UMED-SIM in cooperation with Unilab’s Corporate Information Technology facilitated the birth of the company’s own digital archive called Scientific Database. The Scientific Database can be accessed by Unilab employees here in the Philippines as well as UMED-SIM visitors who are healthcare professionals. A distinctive feature of the Scientific Database is the Filipiniana section. UMED-SIM’s Scientific Database differs from other medical databases as it contains clinical studies and articles written by Filipino physicians. It also includes two other sections - - journals from around the globe and books.

Recognizing the importance of UMED-SIM’s value-added information service, Darya-Varia sends representatives to coordinate on the company’s knowledge sharing network. On February 5, 2010, Darya-Varia’s Marketing Director Yustina Setyowati visited UMED-SIM to discuss with UMED-SIM Manager Robert Saw the possibility of setting up an in-house database for Darya-Varia, Indonesia. Setyowati expressed her intent to include the Filipiniana Section of the database.

UMED-SIM’s information service extends beyond the Philippine borders indeed. UMED-SIM through Darya-Varia reaches out to Indonesia via the Scientific Database. And it’s just a matter of time.