Duterte: Philippines hired almost 9,000 health workers for COVID-19 response

Nearly 9,000 health workers have been hired to beef up the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, President Rodrigo Duterte said Monday.

A total of 8,980 slots out of the 11,705 vacancies for emergency hiring in priority health facilities were filled up from September 11 to 30, Duterte said in his first monthly report to Congress as mandated by the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (Republic Act 11494).

The priority health facilities include government hospitals, COVID-19 diagnostic facilities, and Mega Ligtas COVID-19 centers, among others.

A total of 10,673 nurses under the Nurses Deployment Program have been deployed to participate in hospital-based and community-based COVID-19 responses.

Meanwhile, the Department of Budget and Management had submitted to the Office of the President the proposed administrative orders that will govern the release of COVID-19 special risk allowance and actual hazard duty pay of public and private healthcare workers.

A total of 46 provinces and 726 cities and municipalities have extended assistance to 38,570 health workers, Duterte said, citing a report by the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

Further, 710 cities and municipalities and 31 provinces have already passed ordinances providing sanctions and penalties for acts of discrimination against health workers, the President said. -NB, GMA News