TF abolishes monopoly in accreditation of local medical clinics

MANILA, Philippines - An inter-agency task force has abolished a monopoly exercised by the Gulf Cooperation Council in accrediting local medical clinics that process Filipinos bound for work in GCC member-states, a senior administration lawmaker said yesterday.

Alay Buhay party-list Rep. Wes Gatchalian, senior vice chairman of the House committee on overseas workers’ affairs, said the inter-agency task force on the GAMCA Decking System reported to the panel recently its move to abolish the monopoly in a joint memorandum circular.

GAMCA stands for GCC-Approved Medical Centers Association. These centers are the only medical clinics permitted by GCC member-states (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates) to conduct pre-deployment medical tests for Filipinos seeking employment.

The system also requires a Filipino seeking employment in the GCC to ask for an appointment from a centralized office upon which he or she will be referred to an accredited clinic.

The lawmaker said the practice has been commonly referred to as “decking” that undermines Philippine laws and cause inconvenience to job seekers.

Gatchalian lauded the move of the inter-agency council composed of the Departments of Foreign Affairs, Health, Labor and Employment, and Justice.

“The decision of the inter-agency task force has cleared the way for our overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to exercise their democratic right to choose their preferred clinics under the law,” Gatchalian said.

The circular directs all Philippine posts in the GCC to inform and seek the cooperation of host governments to abolish the GAMCA decking system, which was the practice for the past 15 years.

The task force said Republic Act 10022 gives Filipino migrant workers the freedom to choose any clinic accredited or operated by the Department of Health.

Medical examinations under the GAMCA system cost around P2,700 per applicant. Data from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration showed that in 2012, 1.1 million out of the 1.4 million OFWs were GCC-bound.

Gatchalian said there are only 19 GAMCA-accredited clinics and based on the figures, they can easily collect P960 million annually.