Dole to open hospital with free services for OFWs

MANILA, Philippines — A hospital will be built in San Fernando, Pampanga which will offer free services to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), the Department of Labor said Thursday.

Labor Undersecretary Ana Dione said the hospital, which will be exclusively for OFWs and their dependents, will provide free laboratory exams and required medical certificates to OFWs.

“The plan is to provide them with free services when securing their medical certificates, covering laboratory exams and other basic requirements for their overseas deployment. We hope that this will also be honored by the host countries so we expect a quite extensive negotiation on this,” Dione said in a statement.

Dione said the hospital, scheduled for groundbreaking on May 1, will be built to recognize the contribution of OFWs to the country’s economy.

“This is the concept of our Secretary [Silvestre] Bello. The launch and groundbreaking of this hospital is on May 1. This will provide our OFWs and their dependents free hospital and other medical services,” Dione said.

The construction of the hospital is expected to be completed in one and a half to two years once the needed documents have been secured.

The budget for the operations of the hospital will come from donations and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), with support from the Department of Health (DOH) and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR).

The land where the hospital will be built, meanwhile, came from the provincial government of Pampanga. /je