DOH exec: Local need for nurses must be prioritized

The need for more nurses in the Philippines amid the coronavirus pandemic must be prioritized, the country’s treatment czar said Wednesday after a nurses group sought the lifting of the deployment ban.

Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega said many provinces are in need of additional healthcare workers as COVID-19 infections spike in parts of the country.

He said the Department of Health (DOH) has opened thousands of health worker positions to augment staff in hospitals, testing centers, and isolation facilities.

“As of now, nangangailangan talaga ang marami sa mga provinces ng mga healthcare workers, lalo na itong augmentation para po masagot itong pandemic na ito,” Vega said during the Laging Handa briefing.

(As of now, there is really a need for more healthcare workers in the provinces as augmentation to respond to the pandemic.)

“Ito ‘yung unang ginagawa namin kaya unahin muna natin ‘yung deployment ng ating mga nurses dito sa pangangailangan sa Pilipinas,” he added.

(This is what we’re doing, so let’s prioritize the deployment of nurses within the country to address the local need.)

The Filipino Nurses United (FNU) earlier urged the government to lift the deployment ban on nurses that was reimposed on June 1 after the 5,000 cap for the year was reached early. 

FNU opposed the ban, arguing that there are already enough nurses in the country. The group also said the DOH should hire more nurses to address understaffing. 

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration has clarified that health workers who have existing contracts abroad are not barred from leaving the country. 

The DOH also previously said it has the funds to hire more health workers but the number of applicants remains low.  — RSJ, GMA News