Nancy Binay urges lifting of deployment ban for health workers

Senator Nancy Binay on Thursday urged the government to lift the deployment ban for healthcare workers as she stressed that it has no right to prevent them from earning livelihood abroad.

In a statement, the senator said she hopes the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration and the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases would understand the dilemma of many workers from this sector.

"Sa totoo lang, mas mabigat ang pressure kung paano maitatawid ang kanilang mga pamilya sa gitna ng pandemya. 'Yung travel ban hostages their chance to have a decent work-life balance and give their families a better future," she said.

"Hindi naman gugustuhin ng ating mga healthcare workers na magtrabaho sa ibang bansa kung sapat ang kanilang kinikita dito sa atin. May pandemya po at sino ba naman ang gustong mawalay sa kanilang mahal sa buhay sa panahon ngayon?" she added.

Binay said the government should offer better compensation for health workers if it would insist on implementing the deployment ban.

"Kung hindi kaya ng pamahalaan na mabigyan ng trabaho at sapat na benepisyo ang ating mga healthcare workers, hindi naman ata tama na pagkaitan natin sila ng pagkakataon para mabigyan ng magandang buhay ang kanilang pamilya," she added.

Last week, Malacañang announced that health workers with perfected contracts before March 8, 2020 and the balik-manggagawa or returning workers are the only ones exempted from the deployment ban.

It also encouraged those in the medical profession to gain experience first in the Philippines through the government's emergency hiring program.

The Department of Health said it is in need of 3,000 more warm bodies amid the COVID-19 pandemic.—LDF, GMA News