THE MIGRANT HEALTH UNIT ORGANIZED THE 14TH PHILIPPINE MIGRANT HEALTH NETWORK (PMHN) MEETING

03 April  2023 – The Department of Health (DOH), through the Migrant Health Unit of the Bureau of International Health Cooperation, organized the 14th PMHN Meeting last March 23, 2023 at the B Hotel – Quezon City. The meeting was attended by more than 60 participants from different offices and bureaus of the DOH, other government agencies, members of the academe, private sector, development partners, civil society, and non-government organizations.

The highlights of the meeting are the presentation of the 2016–2022 PMHN Strategic Plan Accomplishment Report and the 2023–2028 PMHN Strategic Plan. The newly developed plan will serve as a guide for the implementation of various migrant health initiatives in the next six years. The meeting also discussed the current structure of the PMHN and the network members explored various implementation arrangements to address the challenges of the network in preparation for the implementation of the new strategic plan.

The meeting also took stock of the recent developments and exchanged updates on various sectoral efforts and initiatives in the field of migration and health, such as:

● DOH Health Sector Strategies
● Guidelines on the Establishment of OFW Wards in level 3 DOH Hospitals
● COVID-19 Situationer
● Update from the Department of Migrant Workers’ One Repatriation Command Center
● Update from the OFW Hospital
● Health Program Plan and Initiatives of the International Organization for Migration

Lastly, the PMHN Members announced their upcoming activities, among these are: The conduct of the 5th National Symposium on Migration Health Research, Ongoing study entitled Multi-lens rapid analysis of Philippine health laws and policies relevant to Overseas Filipino Workers and their families by Dr. Veronica Ramirez of the University of Asia and the Pacific, and the Vital Signs Research Project of the Center for Migrant Advocacy.