PLDT, PhilCare bring prepaid healthcare to OFWs in Hong Kong

MANILA, Philippines - PLDT Global Corp. (PGC), in partnership with PhilCare, is giving overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Hong Kong affordable healthcare maintenance programs through the Smart Pinoy Store.

Through this partnership, OFWs can now purchase prepaid healthcare services for their families in the Philippines with PhilCare’s Yhes Card for P499 and WeCare Card for P999. The PhilCare Yhes Card is as an annual physical examination package while the WeCare Card is a prepaid card for health consultation needs that can be used in PhilCare-accredited hospitals.

“Healthcare for their families is one of the most important assurances that OFWs work hard for,” said PLDT Global president and CEO Alejandro Caeg.

“We’ve already seen a good demand and promising outlook for this service during our brief pilot-run in Hong Kong, and we like to bring this further with our partnership with PhilCare,” he added.

According to the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA), Hong Kong ranked first in terms of the number of deployed OFWs in Asian countries. Over 100,140 OFWs were employed in Hong Kong in 2009. OFW remittances from Hong Kong reached almost $400,000 in 2010.

With these prepaid healthcare services, OFWs are provided control over their beneficiaries’ financial spending. This service allows OFWs to regulate their priorities as to where their remittances go.

The Smart Pinoy Store is a newly-launched OFW payment gateway for Filipino products and services like healthcare for their families. Overseas Filipinos can now make direct payments for their own and their family’s needs like expenses in education, health check-ups and medical procedures, among others.

“Filipinos are generally concerned with having control over spending regarding their income,” PLDT Global head for business and product development, marketing and sales Ricky Isla said.

He said through the Smart Pinoy Store, their spending is relegated to specific needs which give them control for spending their hard-earned income.

This partnership combines quality and affordable healthcare services in a convenient and secure way to pre pay for Filipino products and services in the Philippines through cash or in installment basis.

With the prospect of helping more Filipinos globally, the Smart Pinoy Store hopes to partner with more providers in healthcare, education, real estate, franchising, transport, and other industries for the benefit of OFWs.