OFW Hospital now treating OFWs, their dependents suffering from cancer, kidney disease—Villafuerte
THE OFW Hospital (OFWH), which extended medical assistance and services to over 86,000 overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and their dependents in 2024, has “upped its game” this year in opening facilities and treatment for our foreign-based workers and their families suffering from cancer or chronic kidney disease, CAMARINES Sur Rep. LRay Villafuerte has said.
“This OFW Hospital of our DMW (Department of Migrant Workers) that served more than 86,000 of our OFWs and their families in 2024 alone has certainly upped its game this year in putting up facilities for treating our migrant workers and their qualified family members with cancer or kidney disease,” said Villafuerte, a lead author of a House-approved bill enabling this facility to hire foreign or local specialists or medical experts to treat its patients.
Villafuerte, National Unity Party (NUP) president, said that, “Our senators can help our OFW Hospital take its game to the next level by passing before the end of the 19th Congress a counterpart bill to HB (House Bill No.) 8325 enabling the DOH (Department of Health) to sign up medical specialists to treat OFWs and their families at the OFWH.”
HB 8325, which the House passed on third and final reading in May 2023 yet, tasks the DOH to tap cardiologists, pulmonologists, nephrologists and other medical specialists to hold clinics and treat migrant Filipinos and their families at the at this specialty hospital based in San Fernando City, Pampanga.
Moreover, this bill authorizes the OFWH to invite foreign experts in fields not readily available in the country to hold clinics and treat patients in the facility, and to send its personnel to research or medical institutes for advance healthcare training and to attend international or local conferences and seminars, subject to the DMW’s approval.
“HB 8325 proposes that the OFWH, which is under the direct supervision of the DMW, offer comprehensive health services to OFWs, their legal dependents and OWWA (Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) contributors and to the general public as well,” Villafuerte said.
The OFWH is a specialty hospital with an authorized bed capacity (ABC) of 50 beds, and that was put up by the DMW in San Fernando City, Pampanga in 2022 to exclusively provide medical care and health services to OFWs and their families.
Citing a report by OFWH chief Dr. Ralph Julius Mendoza to the DMW, Villafuerte said that this facility served 86,371 OFWs and their dependents in 2024, of whom 41,282 were out-patients, another 523 were in-patients, and 2,711 more were given urgent medical care.
The remaining 41,855 recorded patients had availed of radiology, respiratory, cardiology, laboratory and other services.
Aside from being accredited as a Level 1 specialty hospital last year, the OFWH was also accredited by the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHeath) as a service provider for its Konsultasyong Sulit Tama (Konsulta) program.
Konsulta is a comprehensive outpatient benefits program for annual check-ups and selected medical diagnostic tests and medicine for PhilHealth members, under Republic Act (RA) No. 11223 or the Universal Health Care (UHC) Law of 2019.
The OFWH also put up packages for Pre-Employment Medical Examination for would-be OFWs, and the Medical Assistance and Medical Repatriation Program for repatriated OFWs.
Villafuerte recalled that last December, President Marcos and DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac led the groundbreaking of the OFWH’s Bagong Pilipinas Cancer Care Center, which expanded the facility’s available services by providing hemodialysis and cancer care units for OFWs and their qualified dependents with chronic kidney disease and/or cancer.
Established in 2022, the OFWH is the country’s first and only medical institution offering comprehensive medical services to our migrant workers and their families.
“Our OFWs are regarded as our Bagong Bayani or modern-day heroes with their remittances that keep our economy afloat. What we do not often see are the emotional and physical stresses that living and working abroad away from their families exact on their physical, emotional and mental,” he added.
“Hence, the need for the government to provide them with quality, accessible and comprehensive healthcare services to deal with their most common ailments or health problems such as pneumonia, hypertension, cancer, trauma, liver disease and depression.”
This House-approved measure in 2023 had consolidated several similar bills, including HB 1275 that was principally authored by Villafuerte.
Although the hospital is under the control of the DMW, the DOH, as proposed by HB 8325, is assigned to:
· Endorse and encourage medical specialists in other government hospitals such as the Philippine Heart Center (PHC), National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI), Lung Center of the Philippines (LCP), Philippine Children’s Medical Center (PCMC or Lungsod ng Kabataan) and Philippine General Hospital (PGH) to hold clinics in the OFWH; and
· Establish OFW centers or wards in DOH-retained hospitals to complement the OFWH.
The OFWH, meanwhile, is tasked under the bill to:
· Invite foreign specialists and similar experts in the various medical fields not available in the country; to train the personnel, trainees, and residents; and
· Send its personnel to research institutes, medical institutes or universities for advance training or observation and to attend international or regional conventions, conferences, congresses and seminars as the OFWH chief may deem necessary to accomplish the hospital’s purposes and objectives, and subject to the approval of the DMW Secretary.
Villafuerte was also a lead author of RA 12021, or the “Magna Carta for Filipino Seafarers” of 2024, that provides “full protection” to Filipino sailors before, during and after their employment, especially in cases of maritime accidents, epidemics or pandemics, and natural or man-made crises.
He is bullish about RA 12021 bestowing ample powers upon the DMW and other concerned agencies to better protect our about 700,000 sailors in either foreign-flagged ships or Philippine-registered vessels operating internationally, at this time of a surging global demand for Filipino mariners.
“This Magna Carta of Seafarers ensures greater protection for our maritime professionals, whether on land or at sea, and better support for their families, especially in crisis periods,” said Villafuerte, one of the authors of HB 2269 that was consolidated into the final House-approved version—HB 7325—of this magna carta.
Moreover, he said, “This law aims to further sharpen the global competitiveness of our sought-after mariners by levelling up the country’s maritime education, training, certification and licensing system.”
Villafuerte explained that one of the provisions of his original bill—HB 2269—found in the Magna Carta is the one on free legal assistance to seafarers facing legal concerns.
As for health protection and medical care, he said that a provision in his original bill that was included in the Magna Carta requires shipowners to assist their hired seafarers in the event of death or disability as a result of occupational injury or illness.
He noted that it is only fitting for the 19th Congress to write a law giving full labor protection to Filipino seafarers, considering that the Philippines is recognized as the world’s largest source of sailors, who have kept our economy afloat even during times of international financial crises, with their remittances totaling $12.8 billion over the 2019-2020 period.
