President Rodrigo Duterte will inspects and inaugurates Sunday the newly constructed Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) Hospital in San Fernando City in Pampanga that will cater to the medical needs of OFWs and their dependents.
Built on a 1.5-hectare land parcel donated by the Pampanga provincial government, the hospital was made possible by the joint efforts of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) which will manage the facility; the Bloomberry Cultural Foundation which shouldered its construction cost; the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) that funded the procurement of medical equipment; and the UP-Philippine General Hospital for the initial operationalization of the hospital’s polyclinic.
The OFW Hospital is set to start its operations on May 2, 2022, as a polyclinic in the transition to its full operations by the end of June. Within its premises may be found the one-stop Malasakit Center and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Desk that will provide easier access to much-needed assistance that also includes bills payments and medicines.
The OFW hospital was established through Executive Order No. 154 issued last year by President Duterte.
A Memorandum of Understanding was signed in January between the DOLE and PGH, wherein the latter shall provide assistance in training clinical and administrative personnel, planning and acquisition of hospital equipment, and formulation of clinical and fiscal process flow.
Executive Order 154 also created the Inter-Agency Committee on the OFW Hospital (ICOH) chaired by the DOLE Secretary and co-chaired by the Health Secretary.
The ICOH is in charge of determining and undertaking, in coordination with the Governance Commission for Government-Owned and -Controlled Corporations, the steps for the formal establishment and/or incorporation of the OFW Hospital in accordance with RA 10149 or the GOCC Governance Act of 2011; and assuming, performing, and carrying out the responsibilities of its Board of Trustees.
Expected to join President Duterte in the event today are former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, Pampanga Governor Dennis Pineda, Bloomberry Vice Chairman Donato Almeda, PGH Director Gerardo Legaspi, and PAGCOR Chairperson Andrea Domingo.