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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 22) – The government may still expand the recently approved 5,000 limit for the deployment of health workers, subject to the authorities’ assessment of the COVID-19 situation in the country, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said on Sunday.
“‘Yung the 5,000 limit is also temporary kasi this is subject to regular evaluation, “Bello said in an interview on CNN Philippines’ Writing weekend.
“We can always extend the limit … we can probably raise it to 7 or 8,000 depending on the situation in our country. When the weather improves, there will be no more pandemics, we can increase the number of our nurses and other medical workers who will be deployed to other countries, “he added.
[Translation: We can always expand the cap… probably we can raise to 7 or 8,000 depending on the situation in our country. When the situation improves, the pandemic eases, we can increase the number of our nurses and other medical workers to be deployed to other countries.]DOLE confirmed on Saturday that President Rodrigo Duterte once again allowed nurses and other medical workers to leave and work abroad, but noted that only 5,000 can be deployed each year.
While the development was welcomed by health worker groups, some still raised concerns about the annual cap.
Filipino Nurses United noted that the limit will not be viable “unless the government pays the several months of back wages, the absence of the COVID service hazard payment and the special risk allowance for the 16,746 healthcare workers.”
The overseas deployment of healthcare workers was previously suspended in a bid to keep medical professionals in the country to boost the local fight against the coronavirus.
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