More than 1,800 nurses still needed amid COVID-19 pandemic —DOH

More than 1,800 positions for government nurses remain unfilled amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Health (DOH) said Monday.

During the House panel deliberations on the proposed 2021 budget of the department, Health Undersecretary Roger Tong-an said the government still needs to hire a total of 1,831 nurses for its COVID-19 response.

“Sila po ‘yong mga nagre-resign at nagre-retire na mga nurse,” Tong-an said.

However, he added that the government was able to hire over 8,000 more nurses during its emergency hiring.

Meanwhile, Tong-an admitted that there is still a shortage of physical and respiratory therapists and medical technologists for government plantilla positions.

He said such medical workers prefer working abroad due to higher salary.

“Napi-pirate po kasi ng ibang bansa dahil triple o five times po ‘yong mga sahod nila doon so lalo ‘yong mga physical therapists natin, umaalis na sila sa bansa,” he said.

Moreover, ACT Teachers’ party-list Representative France Castro questioned the DOH for having 13,794 job order and contract of service workers despite the unfilled 14,553 plantilla positions.

Castro then urged the health department to create plantilla positions for nurses and other medical workers as the government lacks them amid the health crisis.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the DOH will recommend to the Department of Budget and Management to convert the job order and contract of service workers into plantilla positions so that workers will have security of tenure.—LDF, GMA News