On Labor Day, May 1, the first-ever Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) Hospital will finally be operational. The OFW Hospital is located in San Fernando City, Pampanga.
“[A]ll OFWs, kung mayroon silang sakit kasama ang kanilang legal dependents (if they or their legal dependents are ill), will be treated in this hospital for free,” says Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III during the Laging Handa briefing.
Under Executive Order 154, the OFW hospital was established together with the Inter-Agency Committee which can be also found in the OFW Hospital.
The committee will be chaired by DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III and co-chaired by the Secretary of the Department of Health. Some of its members are the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, the Department of Budget and Management Secretary, and the chiefs of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration. It will also be participated by two OFW representatives that are land-based and sea-based.
The operational costs of the hospital as well as its other funding are charged to the budget of the Labor Department. OFWs and their dependents will now enjoy free medical treatment and hospitalization at the hospital. The hospital aims to cater to the healthcare needs of Overseas Filipino Workers as well as their dependents.
