Gov’t launches free medical aid for OFWs, kin

FILE PHOTO: OFWs line up in a special lane for them at the NAIA Terminal 3 on saturday, after the Labor department lifted the temporary suspension of deployment of overseas Filipino workers to Saudi Arabia over Covid-19 testing costs. —MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their families now have easier access to free medical consultations and medicine as the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (Owwa) launched its “Alagang Owwa Botika” program on Friday.

Owwa Administrator Patricia Yvonne Caunan led the launch of the pharmacy program in Pasay City, designed to provide continued care and support to OFWs and their families even after they finish their stints abroad.

Caunan said the program is part of the “Alagang Owwa: Yakap at Gamot” in partnership with the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) and private VidaCure Pharmacy.

Under Philhealth’s Yakap (Yaman ng Kalusugan Program), beneficiaries can receive up to P20,000 worth of medicines per year from accredited pharmacies.

In the case of OFWs and their dependents, they may go directly to the Owwa head office in Pasay City or to the Gateway Mall in Quezon City. For those in the south, they may go to Festival Mall in Alabang, Muntinlupa.

The free medical checkups at Owwa may be availed of every Friday with Yakap-accredited doctors.

Prescriptions issued during consultations can then be used to claim medicines at the Owwa “botika” (pharmacy), also in Pasay City, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mondays to Fridays.

Kimberly Ondona Badong, who had just returned from Oman after developing hypertension, stressed the importance of expanding the program outside Metro Manila.

The mother of six said they live in Maguindanao and she hopes services would also be offered at Owwa regional offices.

In her speech, Caunan said the “Lab for All” mobile medical and clinical laboratory truck donated by first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos would also soon be deployed to deliver free diagnostic services such as X-rays, ultrasounds and blood tests.

Caunan assured that the “Alagang Owwa Botika,” which is still in the pilot stage, would soon be offered nationwide.

“Let’s make every Friday a Yakap Day. We want our OFWs, active, retired or those who have returned for good, to feel that they remain cared for. Even when they are no longer earning abroad, they can still rely on government support for their health needs,” she said.