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 the “Alagang OWWA Botika” on Friday.
OWWA Administrator Patricia Yvonne Caunan led the launch of the pharmacy program, designed to provide continued care and support to OFWs and their families even after they finishing their stints abroad.
“After so many years of working abroad, ilang taon na pagtatrabaho abroad, pag-uwi sa Pilipinas, minsan ang ating mga kababayan, para bang nagtatampo’t nararamdaman nilang bakit wala ng aruga mula sa OWWA. Hindi po totoo yan (After so many years of working abroad, when they return to the Philippines, our compatriots sometimes feel like they were neglected and feel like OWWA no longer cares for them. That is not true),” Caunan said.
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 PHP20,000 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.
Peace of mind, more benefits
For many OFW families, the program offers more than medicine.
It gives them peace of mind, according to Maribel Santiago, a Pasay resident and wife of a former OFW in Saudi Arabia.
“Mas maganda ngayon dahil maraming libre (It is better now because they offer many free services),” Santiago said.
“Malaking tulong ito lalo na sa mga pamilya ng OFWs. Health is very important at dati malaking bahagi ng kita napupunta lang sa gamot. Ngayon, bawas na sa gastusin at makaka-save pa para sa ibang pangangailangan sa bahay (This is a big help especially for OFW families. Health is very important, and before a large part of the income went to medicine. Now, expenses are reduced and you can save for other household needs).”
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.
“Maganda talaga itong ginawa ng OWWA, kasi libre na lahat, doktor, checkup, gamot. Pero sana po magkaroon din sa probinsya namin. Malayo ang Pasay at may anak ako na matagal nang inuubo. Sana po ma-roll out din sa OWWA Butuan para makapagpa-check up at makakuha ng gamot ang pamilya ko (OWWA did a really good job, because everything is free, doctors, checkups, medicine. But I hope it will be available in our province too. Pasay is far awa and I have a child who has been coughing for a long time. I hope it will also be rolled out at OWWA in Butuan so my family can get check-ups and medicine),” Badong said.
Expansion
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. (PNA)
