Pansamantalang itinigil ng Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) ang pagpapadala ng health care workers sa ibang bansa para matugunan ang pangangailangan ng Pilipinas sa puwersa ng health workers sa harap ng laban sa coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Sa inilabas na Resolution No. 09, series of 2020, nakasaad sa pasya ng POEA’s governing board na ititigil muna ang pagpapadala ng health care workers, “until the national state of emergency is lifted and until the COVID-19-related travel restrictions are lifted at the destination countries.”
Ang naturang hakbang ay bilang suporta umano sa pambansang layunin na kontrolin ang pagkalat ng COVID-19, "through the regulation in the deployment of Filipino health care workers through mission critical skills (MCS) framework and to prioritize human resource allocation for the national health care system at the time of the national state of emergency.”
Sakop ng temporary deployment ban ang mga:
Medical doctor/physician
Nurse
Microbiologist
Molecular biologist
Clinical analyst
Respiratory therapist
Pharmacist
Laboratory technician
X-ray/radiologic technician
Nursing assistant/nursing aid
Operator of medical equipment
Supervisor of health services and personal care
Repairman of medical-hospital equipment
Sinuspinde rin ng POEA ang mga bilateral labor agreements for government-to-government deployment ng mga health care workers.
Nitong nakaraang Marso 17, isinailalim ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte ang buong Pilipinas sa anim na buwang state of calamity, “unless earlier lifted or extended as circumstances may warrant.”--FRJ, GMA News