VidaCure and OWWA Team Up to Bring Free Healthcare to OFWs and Their Families

Overseas Foreign Workers (OFWs) are called “Bagong Bayani” (modern-day heroes) – and for good reason. Their importance goes far beyond the remittances they send home. Here are the vital roles that OFWs play in the country and in their communities:

1. Uplifting Families Through Sacrifice

  • Filipino migrant workers are dedicated to giving their loved ones better lives. Their sacrifices help provide food on the table, quality education for children, and financial security for their families.

2. Fueling the Philippine economy 

  • The remittances that migrant workers send to their families help sustain our economy. Their hard-earned money supports housing, daily necessities, education, and even small businesses, contributing to the nation’s development.

3. Promoting cultural exchange

  • OFWs share Filipino culture and values while working abroad. This cultural exchange builds global understanding and showcases Filipinos as talented, caring, and kind people. Whether they’re caregivers, nurses, teachers, engineers, or seafarers, they bring pride to the Philippines through their skills, dedication, and resilience.

4. Inspiring stories

  • The inspiring stories of OFWs remind us of what Filipinos can achieve through hard work, determination, and sacrifice. Each success story, big or small, shows that Filipinos can turn sacrifices into opportunities.

Partnership Rooted in Care

Recognizing these invaluable contributions, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), in partnership with VidaCure Pharmacy, launched the “Alagang OWWA: Yakap at Gamot” program. OWWA and VidaCure work hand in hand to make healthcare services and medicines more accessible to OFWs and their families.

Under PhilHealth’s Yakap (Yaman ng Kalusugan) Program, eligible members can get as much as ₱20,000 worth of medicines each year from VidaCure and other accredited pharmacies.

Every Friday is YAKAP Day!

OWWA Administrator Patricia Yvonne Caunan spearheaded the launch of the “Alagang Owwa Botika” in Pasay City on October 3, 2025. The opening of Alagang OWWA Botika is part of the broader Alagang OWWA: Yakap at Gamot program, developed through the collaboration of OWWA and VidaCure. This initiative marks a significant step toward providing an integrated healthcare service for OFWs—covering free medical consultations and prescriptions to the actual dispensing of free medicines.

Caunan added that every Friday is designated as Yakap Day to make OFWs feel cared for. The initiative includes the following benefits:

Free Medical Checkups – OFWs and dependents can get free medical checkups with Yakap-accredited doctors every Friday at any of the following:

Free Laboratory Services –  OFWs and dependents can avail of free laboratory services. 

“Lab for All” – A mobile medical and laboratory truck, donated by First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, is specially designed to make essential health screenings more accessible to Filipinos. The mobile clinic is equipped to conduct free diagnostic services such as X-rays, ultrasound scans, and blood testing.  It will operate within Metro Manila before gradually expanding its reach to regional OWWA offices.

Free Medicines – Prescriptions issued by Yakap-accredited doctors during consultations can be used to claim medicines at VidaCure and other OWWA Botika.

Bottomline

VidaCure reaffirms its shared commitment with OWWA to protect the health and well-being of Filipino migrant workers and their families. Through free consultations, laboratory services, and  medicines, OFWs and their loved ones can now experience continuous and quality healthcare even after returning home. This ensures that the people who have spent years caring for others abroad are cared for in return.

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