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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Health workers badly needed in COVID-19 response so deployment ban stays; 'long fight' ahead seen

Health workers badly needed in COVID-19 response so deployment ban stays; 'long fight' ahead seen

Published Aug 18, 2020 02:57 pm

The deployment ban of health workers abroad might likely be lifted once the coronavirus emergency has subsided, Malacañang said Tuesday.

(JANSEN ROMERO / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)

After the government kept the temporary suspension of overseas deployment of medical workers, Presidential spokesman Harry Roque explained the country needs health professionals to help in the fight against the pandemic for now.

"May kasabihan na 'Charity begins at home.' Kailangan na kailangan natin ngayon ng mga doktor at allied medical professionals. Manatili po muna tayo sa bansa (There is a saying that 'Charity begins at home.' We really need our doctors and allied medical professionals. Let's stay in the country for the meantime)," Roque said during a televised press briefing Tuesday.

Asked how soon the deployment ban will be lifted, Roque said: "Hindi natin masabi kung kailan (We can't say) but we have a state of public health emergency so siguro pag humupa na itong health emergency (so maybe when the health emergency has subsided)."

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Infectious Diseases (IATF) has issued Resolution No. 64 stating that the overseas deployment of the medical and allied health workers is temporarily suspended "considering the continuing state of public health emergency." The IATF decision was pursuant to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Governing Board Resolution No. 09 on the temporary deployment ban issued last April.

"For this purpose, the DOH (Department of Health) and all hospitals and healthcare facilities of local government units and entities are enjoined to hire these medical and allied health workers to supplement their current workforce,” read the IATF resolution passed on Monday.

Roque said the IATF merely "reiterated" the POEA resolution on the temporary suspension of the deployment of health workers abroad. He said the POEA has not been processing new permits to work abroad for medical professionals.

"Mas nangangailangan tayo ng mga health professionals dahil nga nung two weeks ago humingi ng timeout ang frontliners. In addition to the fact na pinag-iingatan din natin ang kalusugan nila dahil kung pupunta sila sa mga lugar na mas maraming COVID cases (We are in need of health professionals because the frontliners have asked for a timeout two weeks ago. In addition to the fact, we want to take care of their health if they might work in places where there are many COVID cases)," he said.

Roque said the government has so far hired more than 5,000 health professionals to augment the workforce in the battle against the pandemic. He noted that they have also started to conduct online recruitment of medical workers.

“I think we will achieve our objective of 10,000 additional (health workers),” Roque said.

Presidential peace adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. cautioned that there might be a “morale problem” if health workers are allowed to be deployed abroad in the middle of the pandemic. 

Galvez, chief implementer of the government’s plan to fight the pandemic, also said there is a need to “preserve” health workers to sustain the fight against the coronavirus. He also reminded the health workers about their “heroic duty” to serve the Filipino nation. 

"This is a long fight. Kailangan mai-preserve natin ang strength ng ating mga (We must preserve the strength of our) healthcare workers. If we allow our healthcare workers abroad, there will be a morale problem,” he said during the same televised press briefing.

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