The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has partnered with the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) for the expansion of health services to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) through the OFW Hospital located in Pampanga province.

DMW Secretary Susan Ople signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) Wednesday with Dr. Gerardo Legaspi, Director of PGH, for the operation and management of the OFW Hospital in San Fernando City.

A copy of the MOA sent to the Philippine News Agency on Thursday states that it aims to provide better healthcare services for OFWs and their families through the OFW Hospital.

Ople thanked the UP-PGH saying that through the partnership, the OFW Hospital will soon be able to provide the gold standard in pre-employment medical service.

“We will set the right standards and show how it should be done,” she said.

Ople emphasize the importance of having a healthy body and mind, especially for OFWs who are working in a foreign land and interacting with different kinds of people.

“The health of every migrant worker must never be compromised because decent work and human dignity and basic human rights include the right to life, and the right to a healthy future,” she added.

During the MOA signing, Ople noted that the DMW is the country’s first department for migrant workers, and the first department to have a hospital dedicated to Filipino migrant workers.

She said the hospital will cater not only directly to the OFWs but to their children and families as well.

The OFW Hospital was established during the administration of then President Rodrigo Duterte in May 2022.

The hospital is a 7-story facility standing on a 1.5-hectare property with 102-bed capacity. The provincial government of Pampanga gave the property under a usufruct agreement.

Executive Order No. 154 signed on December 7, 2021, called for the creation of the facility. Under a partnership with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Bloomberry Cultural Foundation funded the construction of the hospital while the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) provided funding for the acquisition of hospital equipment.

The OFW Hospital opened with an outpatient clinic and started operation as an infirmary in July 2022. Last January, the DMW took over the operation from DOLE.

The hospital is now classified as a secondary-level medical facility.

As of Feb. 28, Ople said the OFW Hospital has so far served 11,483 patients, while two OFWs have delivered their babies in the hospital.

She said the vision of the hospital is to be the “center of excellence” for the healthcare needs of OFWs and their dependents and the best workplace for healthcare professionals.

“The OFW Hospital will be the lead agency in providing a pre-employment and post-arrival medical examination in the Philippines, while its mission is to provide holistic patient-centered healthcare services to OFWs and their dependents,” Ople said.

For 2023, she said that among the plans for the OFW Hospital include the acquisition of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and digital mammography, the establishment of a hemodialysis unit, and the expansion of its cardiology services.

Meanwhile, as part of the celebration of Women’s Month, Ople said that the UP-PGH has already committed to bringing a mammogram van to the DMW office in Mandaluyong for the female employees of the department as well as the female OFWs.

Ople reminded everyone to be thankful for each new day and treat them as a blessing, noting that she has been a breast cancer survivor for three years now.

“Pangako natin, mas marami pa tayong masagip, mas marami pa tayong matulungan at mas marami pa tayong matulungan din na mapadala sa (Our promise is to save and help as many as we can and to be able to send as many workers) abroad knowing that they are very much okay and able to withstand the condition of being an OFW,” Ople said. (PNA)