'Clinic group corners OFW certificates'

MANILA, Philippines - A lawmaker is calling on the government to stop a group of medical clinics based in Metro Manila from monopolizing the issuance of medical certificates to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and char­ging exorbitant fees.

Zambales Rep. Milagros Magsaysay during a recent hearing of the House committee on overseas Filipinos and migrant workers, they found that the GCC Approved Medical Centers Association (GAMCA) has allegedly cornered the conduct of examinations of OFWs who need medical certificates to acquire visas to work in Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Bah­rain and Kuwait.

She said there are only 17 GAMCA clinics in Metro Manila servicing thousands of OFWs daily from all over the country.

“The continued monopoly by GAMCA… has caused inconvenience if not suffering and miseries to many OFWs from the Visayas, Mindanao and even from the Northern Luzon provinces,” she said.

She said the practice of monopolizing the issuance of medical certificate, called decking or referral system, continues to happen despite the specific prohibition under Republic Act 10022 or the Migrant and Overseas Filipino Workers Act.

She said she has been wondering why the problem remains after Department of Health Undersecretary Alexander Padilla told GAMCA to discontinue the referral system, which he described as illegal. Under the law, the 195 accredited hospitals of the DOH nationwide can issue medical clearances for departing Filipino workers.

Magsaysay called on the Department of Labor and Employment, the DOH and the Department of Foreign Affairs to ask the Gulf countries “to honor and respect the provisions of the new law and… accept the medical certificates issued by DOH-accredited medical clinics and not only those issues by GAMCA.”

She said the three agencies should come up with a policy that would enable OFWs in the Visayas and Mindanao to have themselves examined at clinics in their area.