What you should know about the OFW Hospital

MANILA, Philippines – In May 2022, the Philippines opened its first hospital created specifically for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their dependents.

Then-president Rodrigo Duterte, who led the inauguration of the hospital, had said that the OFW Hospital was the government’s way of thanking OFWs for their “valuable contribution to the country’s socio-economic progress and for their critical role in upholding the Filipino identity in the global community.”

The hospital is based in San Fernando, Pampanga, where OFWs and their families can avail of free healthcare services.

What health services does the hospital offer? What kind of OFWs and dependents are qualified, and how can they avail of services? Here are some things you need to know.

Who are the eligible clients?

Based on information from the OFW Hospital’s website, the following are qualified beneficiaries of the hospital: an active or inactive OFW, and the OFW’s spouse, children, and parents. Minor siblings of an OFW are also qualified as long as the OFW is unmarried.

Here are the requirements patients need to present on the day of their appointment:

OFW

Passport or valid, government-issued ID

OFW’s spouse

Passport or valid, government-issued ID of OFW
Marriage contract
Valid ID of spouse

OFW’s child

Must be 17 or below
Passport or valid, government-issued ID of OFW
Birth certificate of child
Valid ID or school ID

OFW’s parent

Passport or valid, government-issued ID of OFW
Birth certificate of OFW
Valid, government-issued ID of parent

Unmarried OFW’s siblings

PSA/LCR certificate of sibling
Valid, government-issued ID of sibling
Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) or local civil registry (LCR) birth certificate of OFW
Passport or valid, government-issued ID of OFW
PSA Certificate of No Marriage Record (CENOMAR) of OFW

What services are offered?

The OFW Hospital has general consultation for out-patients and allows for admission as in-patients. OFWs may undergo their pre-employment medical examination at the hospital, and can also be treated in a medical repatriation carried out by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.

Here’s the full list of the hospital’s services:

Family medicine and primary care
Teleconsultation
Radiology diagnostic imaging
- X-ray
- CT-scan
- Ultrasound
Laboratory services
- Hematology
  - Complete blood count with platelet count
  - Bleeding time/clotting time
  - Blood typing
- Clinical microscopy
  - Urinalysis
  - Fecalysis
  - Fecal occult blood
  - Pregnancy test
- Clinical chemistry
  - Fasting blood sugar
  - Cholesterol
  - Triglycerides
  - High-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL)
  - Creatinine
  - Blood urea nitrogen
  - Blood uric acid
  - Alanine aminotransferase (ALT)
  - Aspartate aminotransferase (AST)
- Immunology-serology
  - Dengue NS1 antigen
  - Dengue duo
  - Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)
  - Syphilis
  - HIV screening
Internal medicine
- Cardiology
- Pulmonology
- Nephrology
- Infectious disease
Heart services
- Electrocardiogram
- 2D Echo
Dentistry (under development)
- Consultation
- Extraction
- Oral prophylaxis
Pediatrics
Obstetric and gynecologic procedure
- Tubal ligation
- Dilatation and curettage
- Normal spontaneous delivery
- Cesarean section
Surgical procedures
- Suturing
- Wound debridement
- Incision and drainage
- Simple excision of skin and soft tissue masses
- Circumcision
- Appendectomy (uncomplicated)
- Herniotonomy
- Hemmorrhoidectomy
- Open cholecystectomy
Blood services

Based on announcements on the hospital’s Facebook page, teleconsults and general checkups for out-patients may not be available on holidays.

The hospital can also provide ambulance and patient transport services, Malasakit Center services, intensive care unit services, and neonatal and intensive care unit services.

A pharmacy is also “partially” under development at the hospital.

How can I avail of a service?

Save for emergencies, patients with appointments are prioritized, according to former hospital administrator Dr. Jose Dante Dator in a video by doctor and video creator Dr. Mike Manio. The hospital has a bed capacity of at least 100 as of January.

Appointments can be booked online here.

While urgent care is available from 6 am to 10 pm, the hospital’s Facebook page lists its regular operating hours from 8 am to 5 pm. The hospital is closed on weekends. However, this information on regular operating hours was last updated “about a year ago.”