BY ARGYLL GEDUCOS
President Duterte has allowed nurses and other health professionals with complete documentation to leave the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the President made the move after overseas Filipino health workers appealed to the government to lift the deployment ban.
In his Monday presser, Roque announced that Filipino nurses and other health workers with valid contracts and complete documents may now leave for their jobs abroad.
“Nakinig naman po ang Presdiente sa mga hinaing ng mga nurses. So ‘yung mga meron na pong mga papeles at kumpletong documentation as of August 31, 2020, pinayagan na po ng Presidente na makaalis,” he said.
“Makikinabang po ang 1,500 nurses and other health professionals,” he added.
The Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases has presented some options to President Duterte on how to address the plight of overseas Filipino nurses amid the deployment ban.
The government initially halted the migration of health workers abroad to ensure their safety and to address the shortage of manpower.
It later allowed health workers with perfected and signed work contracts as of March 8 to be deployed abroad.
Cabinet Secretary and IATF co-chairperson Karlo Nograles last week urged health workers and those who currently have no work to apply for a job in the government, saying the Department of Health (DoH) is currently hiring medical frontliners as the government builds more isolation quarantine facilities.
“Sana po ay mag-apply kayo dito sa mga vacancies natin at makatulong din po kayo dito sa laban against COVID-19,” he added. (Argyll Geducos)
