Healthcare deal for licensed Filipino professionals inked

An umbrella organisation of 23 societies involving professionals from the Philippines has pursued additional benefits to its members and their families across the country.

The additional benefits have been immediately activated after the March 13 signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) between the Philippine Professional Organisation-UAE (PPO-UAE) and the Dubai Health Authority (DHA)-accredited San Lucas Medical Center (SLMC).

Witnesses to the MoA signing between PPO-UAE chairman Lyndon Magsino and SLMC Medical and Administrative director Dr. Antonio Ronaldo Fabian were Philippine Consulate General-Dubai Economic Affairs and Community Relations Vice Consul Jim Jimeno and SMLC chief executive officer Mohamed Munas.

“The presence of SLMC in the UAE with its 100 per cent Filipino staff and medical team, is a tremendous advantage for us all,” said Magsino, a certified public accountant who has been a Qatar and UAE resident in over 20 years.

“This initiative goes beyond business. It is about achieving a common goal of helping our people access quality healthcare,” Magsino added.

On March 12, PPO-UAE officials had a “strategic meeting with Consul General in Dubai and the Northern Emirates Ambrosio Brian Enciso III for the enhancement of cooperation that shall advance programmes and initiatives – not only meant for the over 56,000-strong umbrella organisation members – but to ensure as well that their collective expertise “contributes positively to the broader UAE society.” Established in 2009, 6,500 PPO-UAE members have been classified as “actively licensed professionals.”

It is the conduit for the conduct of Special Professional Licensure Examinations or Philippine Board Examinations in coordination with the One-Country Philippine Team in the UAE led by the Philippine Embassy-Abu Dhabi.

“It ensures that qualified overseas Filipino workers are given accessible, transparent, and well-organised opportunities to obtain or renew their professional licenses without the need to return to the Philppines,” said Magsino.

PPO-UAE members belong to the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants-Dubai, Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants-Northern Emirates, Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants-Abu Dhabi, Philippine Association for Teachers and Educators-UAE, Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers-UAE, Philippine Society of Mechanical Engineers-Abu Dhabi, Philippine Society of Mechanical Engineers-UAE, Pambansang Samahan ng Inhenyero Mekanical-UAE, Society of Aerospace Engineers of the Philippines-EMEA, Philippine Institute of Chemical Engineers-UAE, Institute of Integrated Electrical Engineers of the Philippines Inc.-Abu Dhabi, Institute of Integrated Electrical Engineers of the Philippines Inc.-UAE, Institute of Electronic Engineers of the Philippines-UAE, Philippine Nurses Association-UAE, Integrated Philippine Association of Optometrists-UAE, Pinoy Vets-UAE, Emirates Association of Respiratory Care Practitioners, Filipino Radiographers, Filipino Nurses Association in the Emirates, United Architects of the Philippines-Abu Dhabi, National Organisation of Professional Teachers Inc.-UAE, Filipino Teachers and Educators Council, and Filiipino Librarians Association-UAE. SLMC, set up in January 2026, and which currently offers General Practice, Paediatrics, and Obstetrics & Gynaecology, is basically an outpatient primary healthcare facility.

Its investors, according to Dr. Fabian, saw that “Dubai’s worldclass infrastructure makes it the ideal hub for the specialised mission of providing premium healthcare not only to Filipinos in the emirate.” “While this is our flagship facility, we have strategic plans to expand our services across the UAE,” said Fabian, a Family Medicine specialist with 14 years of experience. Like Magsino, the Ateneo de Davao University and Davao Medical School Foundation alumnus mentioned the significance of “long term community care and engagement.”

According to Fabian, the partnership is the outcome of “focused discussions between community leaders and healthcare providers” concerning “trusted and accessible healthcare options for Filipino professionals and their families.”

Under the agreement, the medical facility will extend exclusive healthcare benefits to verified PPO-UAE members in good standing. “After months of careful coordination, there is now the meaningful advantage for PPO-UAE members. The 30 per cent discount, especially for those without insurance, is a significant support for many professionals and their families, particularly their spouses and children,” said Magsino.