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DOH exec: Philippines short of doctors by 92,000, nurses by 44,000


An official from the Department of Health (DOH) disclosed Thursday that the Philippines has a shortage of around 92,000 physicians and 44,000 nurses amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"If we look at the shortages of physicians as yet with the current situation of COVID in the Philippines, we have a shortage of around 92,000 physicians, 44,000 nurses," DOH Assistant Secretary Kenneth Ronquillo said during a congressional inquiry into the annual deployment cap on healthcare workers.

Ronquillo also said there has been a shortage of 19,000 medical technologists, around 14,000 pharmacists, and 17,000 radiologic technicians and radiologic technologists.

Ronquillo said the figures were provided before the Department of Labor and Employment.

"I think this was the basis of the DOLE to put up this cap," Ronquillo said.

The DOH official mentioned the gaps in the deployment of healthcare workers in the country.

"If we look at the data that we have in the Department of Health now, estimated gaps in the premise that all health workers licensed to practice are practicing in the Philippines, that's the premise, then we would have shortages for physicians and radiologic technologists and x-ray technologists," Ronquillo explained.

The Philippine government in June increased the cap for the number of health workers that can be deployed abroad from 5,000 to 6,500.

Healthcare workers under government-to-government labor agreements, however, are exempted from the adjusted ceiling. — BM, GMA News

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