International SOS offers vital safety net to OFWs

Manila, Philippines - International SOS, the world’s leading international healthcare, medical assistance, and security services company, has launched a specially-tailored program that, together with mandated insurance companies in the Philippines, provides overseas foreign workers access to 24/7 medical assistance services worldwide.

According to the Philippine Overseas Employment Department, there were 1,422,586 Filipinos working overseas in land-based and sea-based assignments in 2009, with the greatest numbers working in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, Qatar, and Singapore.

“Following amendments to the Migrant Workers Act, all agency-hired workers intending to travel overseas for work must have access to medical assistance services when they are working overseas,” said Harold Pradal, general manager, International SOS Philippines. “Peace of mind is assured should any assistance be required overseas simply with one phone call.”

Under Section 37-A of the Act amending Republic Act No. 10022 (known as the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act), a compulsory insurance policy is required for all agency-hired migrant worker deployed overseas. This policy must cover accidental and natural death, total permanent disablement, repatriation of any worker when his/her employment is terminated, repatriation or return of mortal remains, subsistence allowance benefit, and money claims arising from the employer’s liability.

International SOS’ especially tailored OFW program offers 24/7 medical evacuation and repatriation services, repatriation of mortal remains and arrangement of compassionate visitations by family members. These overseas medical assistance services are compulsory inclusions in insurance policies as a result of the amended act.

International SOS also offers other value-added services that insurers can add to their services such as medical information, advice and reassurance by doctors over the phone, medical service provider referral, arranging appointments with local doctors or dentists, guarantee of medical expenses during hospitalisation, and more.

Recently celebrating their 25th anniversary, International SOS operates a worldwide network of alarm centers to ensure a rapid response when a member is seeking emergency and non-emergency assistance with a simple phone call. Multi-lingual doctors and nurses, and air and ground logistics personnel in these alarm centers are on hand to respond rapidly to any emergency or call for assistance from its members.

International SOS has a global network of more than accredited 60,000 network providers including doctors’ offices, hospitals, and clinics. Across the world, there are 7,000 employees with around a third being medical professionals  emergency trained physicians, general practitioners, Advanced Life Support (ALS) medics or paramedics and nurses.

Operating in the Philippines since 1996, International SOS is the only assistance company in the country to offer integrated assistance services worldwide. International SOS’ state-of-the-art alarm centre in Manila handled 81,278 calls alone in 2010.

International SOS has also launched a “Fit For Work” program for employers in the Philippines as some employees are assigned overseas in remote locations in jobs that require specialised skills, for example, in oil and gas or shipping industries. Trained and certified medical personnel individually tailor the Fit For Work program to match specific requirements of the employer and covers pre-employment medical examinations, review and verification of fitness, and the issuance of certificates.

Members include 69 percent of the Global Fortune 500 companies.

For inquiries, call Melissa Nemedez/Rachel Tiburcio, account management officers, International SOS (Phils.), Inc. at 687-0999 or e-mail manila.marketing@ internationalsos.com.