MANILA: Negotiations between the Philippines and the Gulf Cooperation Council have reached the planning stage for expanded medical infrastructure, with both parties working to establish additional accredited medical centers and clinics to serve Filipino workers preparing for employment in the Gulf region.
The governance stakes are considerable. More than one million Filipino nationals currently reside and work throughout the Gulf, making health oversight a significant regulatory concern for both jurisdictions. Saudi Arabia remains the primary destination, hosting approximately half of all Filipinos in the GCC, with the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar following as secondary destinations.
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This week, the Philippines’ Department of Migrant Workers convened with representatives from the GCC and the Gulf Health Council to address health and medical screening protocols for departing workers. The meeting centered on how both jurisdictions might coordinate to improve access and compliance with mandatory health requirements.
The Gulf Health Council administers the Wafid Program, which mandates pre-departure medical screening for all expatriates headed to the region. The program is designed to verify worker fitness and screen for diseases that could create public health risks in destination countries. Currently, 24 accredited medical centers and clinics operate across the Philippines to conduct these examinations. The council has signaled its intention to expand this network substantially.
Lito Soriano, executive director of the Recruitment Industry Crisis Coordination Council, characterized the expansion plan as a positive step forward. The RICCC, established in March 2026, functions as a coalition of Philippine recruitment agencies and industry organizations dedicated to protecting overseas Filipino workers during crises, particularly those occurring in the Middle East.
Access remains a central challenge driving the expansion effort. While some medical clinics maintain Manila headquarters with branches distributed across Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, Soriano noted that this coverage proves insufficient for workers in remote areas. The additional clinics would reduce travel burdens for applicants seeking required medical examinations, particularly those living far from existing screening centers.
By contrast, the RICCC has proposed a complementary strategy that would draw public institutions into the compliance framework. The organization is encouraging the Philippine government to involve its hospital system in the examination process, allowing regional and provincial facilities to offer services that meet Gulf health ministry standards. Soriano outlined two potential pathways for implementation. The first involves encouraging the 24 currently accredited centers to establish provincial branches, with accreditation from both the Philippine Department of Health and Gulf health ministries. The second would integrate government-managed regional and provincial hospitals into the screening network, bringing services closer to workers in outlying areas.
This dual approach reflects a recognition that infrastructure expansion alone cannot resolve access problems. Involving public hospitals would leverage existing government facilities, reduce the burden on private accredited centers, and ensure that workers throughout the country can meet mandatory screening requirements before departure. Whether the Department of Migrant Workers will formally adopt the RICCC’s proposal, and on what timeline, remains the open question shaping the next phase of these negotiations.