(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Philippine Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Rosell-Ubial arrived here yesterday to meet with her Qatari counterpart to finalise a proposed bilateral agreement on health assistance and exchanges.
'The main agenda of our visit here is to meet with the Minister of Public Health so that we can finalise the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Philippines and Qatar in terms of health assistance and exchanges between the two countries, Ubial told the media yesterday.
'The MoU has been in the works for several years and we hope it will be finalised this year, added Ubial, who was designated by President Rodrigo R Duterte as the official negotiator and signatory to the agreement.
Asked on an update regarding the first Filipino hospital overseas which is being planned to be put up in Qatar, she expressed optimism after meeting with a possible investor here.
'We had a meeting with a possible investor from Al Jazeera Group of Companies and it looks positive that they are considering investing in the Filipino hospital here, she said.
Preparations on putting up the hospital are on track and the first of several polyclinics which are part of the first phase of the project will be opening next year.
The healthcare facility will be based on a groundbreaking cooperative model of the Medical Mission Group Hospitals and Health Services Cooperative Philippines (MMGHHSCP) which is a private entity in the Philippines.
'It is more of a cooperative hospital meaning the members or the clients themselves can actually be shareholders. They will start with the polyclinic which will open next year and eventually have a main hospital. The idea is to have several polyclinics which will take care of the outpatient and the main hospital will be for inpatient and referral, she explained.
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of a meeting with the Filipino community at the Philippine Embassy yesterday, Ubial stressed on the ambitious goal of the government to provide quality healthcare to all Filipinos around the world.
'Our dream for the Philippines is to attain universal healthcare. It is providing Filipinos access to quality healthcare whether they are in the Philippines or overseas. So this step toward building a Filipino hospital in Qatar is really our step towards reaching out to Filipinos outside of the country and providing them quality healthcare, she stressed.
An important part of the government's move for a universal healthcare system is to make health insurance cover even Filipinos abroad, she said.
Apart from the agreement, the delegation is also keen on looking at other areas of cooperation on investment.
'We are exploring possible investments in the Philippines by Qatari government or the private sector in other areas like hotels and medical tourism investment on health facilities and spa in the Philippines. We are also thinking of strengthening the exchanges in terms of health professionals to be able to practice in Qatar, she said, adding she is happy of the Qatari government's openness to having more Filipinos work in Qatar.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.