The government has increased its deployment cap on health workers, from 5,000 to 6,000, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque announced on Friday.
Health workers who can be deployed are those who perform mission critical skills with perfected contracts as of May 31.
However, those under government-to-government labor agreements are exempted from the adjusted deployment cap.
On June 1, Philippine Overseas and Employment Administration (POEA) Administrator Bernard Olalia announced that 5,000 caps had been met, so it will temporarily not send nurses abroad.
Returning workers and those hired in POEA’s government-to-government hiring programs in Japan, Germany, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates are exempted from the deployment suspension.
According to DOLE chief Silvestre Bello, Germany is also asking for an exemption, which wants to hire 15,000 Filipino nurses.
The Filipino Nurses United (FNU) has condemned the implementation of 5,000 caps on the deployment of nurses abroad each year after reaching the number for 2021.
The FNU said it was not fair for other nurses who wanted a better income and were already in the process of arranging their documents, visas, and other requirements.
PH increases deployment cap on health workers
He said the cap should not be implemented because there are many and enough nurses in the Philippines. Moreover, the nurses will not want to leave the country if their salaries and benefits are sufficient, according to Jocelyn Andamo, FNU secretary-general.
According to the FNU, more than 570,000 nurses passed the Nurses Licensure Examination from 2000-2019, based on data from the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).
Of that number, 200,000-250,000 leave the country to work.
It turns out that about 220,000 nurses are unemployed or underemployed in their own country, according to the group.
The Alliance of Healthcare Workers insisted that the government is also to blame for the departure of nurses and other health workers, who have long been neglected.
The Department of Labor and Employment supported all bills filed to raise healthcare workers’ wages and benefits, especially nurses.
The agency also encouraged nurses to complain to them if employers treated them wrongly.
Visit our Facebook page for more news updates.