Nurses group calls for mass hiring of nurses amid COVID-19 surge
A group of nurses has appealed anew to the Department of Health (DOH) to hire more nurses amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) surge.

In an interview over DZMM on Sunday, April 25, Filipino Nurses United (FNU) secretary general Jocelyn Andamo said health workers remain overworked and overwhelmed as many hospitals are still understaffed.
"Yung isang room na dapat isa, dalawang pasyente lang ay naging apat. Nag-oopen po ng mga ward para sa COVID pero wala pong kaakibat na dagdag na nursing staff kaya po yung panawagan namin nung isang taon pa po ay merong mass hiring na libo-libo, (We have one room that can only accommodate one to two patients, but is currently used by four patients. Hospitals also opened more COVID-19 wards but the problem is we still lack additional nursing staff. That has been our appeal since last year, hire thousands of nurses)" Andamo said.
"Ang recommendation nga po namin ay isang nurse sa bawat barangay. 42,000 po sana nationwide para matugunan po natin ang pangangailangan ng ating kababayan (Our recommendation is one nurse per barangay. 42,000 nurses nationwide so that our countrymen needs can be met)," she added.
Andamo also called on DOH to assure that nurses and health workers would get "just compensation" and their families are also protected.
FNU likewise clamored anew for a free mass testing, focusing on the vulnerable populations.