The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) is looking to establish clinics in malls to provide easier access to medical care for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
DMW Secretary Hans J. Cacdac said the initiative aims to extend healthcare services beyond the OFW Hospital in San Fernando, Pampanga. The proposed clinics will be similar to those commonly found in shopping centers nationwide.
“We plan to develop branches or units similar to how clinics operate in malls,” Cacdac said in a recent interview with PTV.
This move is part of efforts to enhance the services of the OFW Hospital, which assisted over 86,000 OFWs last year. Of these, more than 41,000 received treatment, while the rest availed of various medical services, including laboratory tests, radiology, and cardiology check-ups.
Opened in 2022, the OFW Hospital accommodates over 160 patients daily. The DMW also aims to expand its capacity and upgrade it to a tertiary hospital, with plans to establish a Cancer Care Center by next year.
“We want to increase the hospital’s bed capacity from 50 to more, as well as introduce a dialysis treatment facility,” Cacdac added.
