What You Should Know About the Medical Exam for OFWs

Ideally, medical examination is required at the final stage of the recruitment process. Only the applicants that have passed the screening process and is already pre-selected for employment would need to obtain a medical certificate.

An applicant that is asked to undergo a medical exam is almost sure to be deployed. However, a jobseeker that wishes to work abroad would need to prove that they are fit to work through a medical certificate. A negative medical exam results can halt one’s overseas career.

The medical tests required for overseas employment differs per host country. For examples, medical exam in countries belonging in the Gulf region is governed by the Gulf Cooperation Council-(GCC) Accredited Medical Clinics Association (GAMCA). The GAMCA has a list of diseases that classify applicants in an unfit to work status.

The medical exam has two phases. Laboratory exams such as urine and fecal test, blood test, x-ray, ear, nose and teeth are done in the first phase. The second phase consists of physical examination and a psychological test.

The fee for medical exam for overseas employment range from Php2500 to Php3000 and the whole procedure is completed in a day so the applicants are asked to bring a urine and stool sample on the day of the medical exam.  

For those with dental problems, it is advisable to do all necessary treatments before your medical exam such as dentures, pasta, tooth extraction and oral prophylaxis. Doing it early will save you money as GAMCA-accredited clinics and other clinics accredited for OFW medical exams may charged more for these procedures than in a regular dental clinic.

Some skin diseases may also classify one as unfit to work. So it is best to consult a dermatologist and apply treatment before the medical exam.

Some overseas Filipino workers (OFW) undergo a second blood sugar test because they are diagnosed with high blood sugar. The usual cause is not fasting properly before the lab exam. Make sure that you follow proper fasting procedures to avoid retake. Do not eat twelve hours before your medical and drink lots of water.

Take note that medical certificate is only valid for up to three months. You don’t need to take the medical exam if you are not yet advice by the agency. If you have taken a medical exam to a clinic referred by recruitment agency and you suddenly got a better offer with other agency, your medical exam might not be honored by that agency since each agency has different accredited medical clinics.

If you have been diagnosed with a lung problem prior to your application or medical exam, tell the doctor about your situation, he will advice you what to do on how you will be able to pass the medical exam. Drinking sterilized milk a night before your medical exam is just a myth. If you have a lung problem, it won’t be cured overnight by drinking sterilized milk.

Know more about medical exam procedures by checking the Medical Examination discussion in OFWGuide Forum. You need to log in to see the discussion or register if you are not yet a member.

You may also want to read OFWs Bound to Middle East Can Soon Choose non-GAMCA Clinics