The Overseas Workers Program (OWP) Enhanced Outpatient Benefit (OPB) Package was crafted pursuant to PhilHealth Board Resolution No. 992 s 2007 and in order to continuously provide access to outpatient services for (OWP) members and dependents.
Philhealth Circular 13, Series of 2007 identifies the components of the enhanced OPB package to include consultations, diagnostics, promotive/ preventive and curative services which will be granted to eligible OWP members and their dependents.
The OWP Enhanced Out-Patient Benefit (OPB) Package for OFWs has been officially presented to 42 participating Department of Health (DOH) Hospitals in an orientation conducted by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PHIC) on 26 June 2007 at the University Hotel, UP Campus, Quezon City.
The package is supposed to be an improvement of the old package mainly because of the infusion of Php 6 million as global budget to the OFW Outpatient Benefit Package. It mainly benefits the dependents of OFWs but lacks an on-site OPB component for OFWs. Under the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), doctors in host countries were engaged to conduct outpatient services on-site. Three (3) years after the transfer of the program from OWWA to PHIC, PHIC’s presence is still to be established in destination countries.
