
By Christine Fabro
In less than a year since its establishment, the OFW Hospital in Pampanga has catered to over 11,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their families.
During the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) on Thursday, March 9, Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Susan Ople said the hospital aims to provide “gold standard” to pre-employment medical exams and other medical needs, noting that the health of every migrant worker should not be compromised.
“The OFW Hospital will be the lead agency in providing 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,” she added.
The DMW said that as of February 28, the hospital has received 483 patients in its Out-Patient Unit, of which 387 were admitted and/or given urgent care.
In addition, 15 minor surgeries have been performed for free through the Malasakit program of the government.
The OFW Hospital was opened on May 1, 2022 with an out-patient clinic and started operation as an infirmary in July 2022.