https://arab.news/yuk6c
- Some 57,000 Filipino migrant workers live and work in Bahrain
- Health-check program is available in more locations this year
MANILA: The Philippines launched on Friday a month-long health-screening program for Filipino workers in Bahrain, as Manila seeks to promote wellness among its citizens abroad.
Gulf countries have for years been the main overseas destination for Filipinos, with some 57,000 currently living and working in Bahrain.
The “Healthy Pinoy” campaign, a project spearheaded by the Philippine Embassy in Bahrain in collaboration with the Al-Hilal Healthcare Group, offers free blood testing and doctor consultations for Filipino workers.
“This project, which is in its second year, was conceptualized with the view of promoting health and wellness of the Filipinos in Bahrain by providing them free health screening (and) health check-ups … This will be for the whole month of August,” Consul Bryan Baguio from the Philippine Embassy in Bahrain told Arab News.
Philippine nationals are entitled to get free tests for blood sugar, cholesterol, uric acid, as well as kidney and liver screening, he said, as well as a complimentary medical consultation for a further evaluation.
The services are available at all nine hospitals under the Al-Hilal Healthcare Group across Bahrain, including in Manama, Muharraq and Askar.
The embassy also brought a consular outreach mission on the first day of the campaign, Baguio added, which is providing various services for workers.
“We’re doing this mission in conjunction with the launching because it will be a Friday, which is a rest day for our countrymen here in Bahrain. So this will be an opportunity for them to avail and to consult with the embassies on various services on their day off,” he said.
In 2024, the free health-screening program benefited about 1,000 Filipinos and was held at only one hospital. With additional locations this year, embassy officials are expecting more people to participate.
“Now it will be in nine Al-Hilal hospitals, and we are also adding the complimentary doctor consultations. So we expect more, more than 1,000,” Baguio said.
“Health is a top priority of Filipinos in Bahrain, and that is what we intend to do — to promote the health and wellness of our nationals here by providing them free healthcare services.”