The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is moving forward with its planned construction of a dedicated hospital for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) even as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic continues to rage.
Silvestre Bello III, labor secretary, recently formed a top-level committee that will oversee the procurement of hospital equipment as well as the hiring of medical personnel who will man the country's first-ever OFW-centric hospital. The 100-bed facility will be located in Pampanga.
The Committee on the Construction of the OFW Hospital and Diagnostic Center Project under Administrative Order No. 89, series of 2021, is co-chaired by Undersecretaries Renato Ebarle and Ana Dione.
The OFW Hospital and Diagnostic Center is envisioned to be a "legacy" project of the Duterte administration, Bello said. It is meant to benefit both OFWs and their dependents.
An agreement between the Provincial Government of Pampanga and DOLE for the construction of the medical facility in Barangay Sindalan, San Fernando, Pampanga was sealed early last year. The construction was delayed due to the onset of the pandemic last year.
Under the agreement, the provincial government will donate the property where the facility will be situated on.
The Department of Health (DOH), the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), and the Bloomberry Cultural Foundation are also involved in the project, with the latter two providing for its funds.
Out of the P550-million budget for the project, the P400 million from Bloombery was earmarked for the construction of the hospital building while the remaining P150 million from PAGCOR was allocated for the procurement of hospital equipment.