Health workers not allowed to leave
The Philippine government has suspended the deployment of Filipino health workers abroad because of the continuing public health emergency caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, Malacañang said on Tuesday.
The decision to stop medical and allied health workers from leaving the country was reached by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) during a meeting on Monday after the country’s cases of coronavirus soared past 160,000.
In Resolution 64, the IATF-EID urged the Department of Health (DoH) and all government hospitals to hire health professionals to augment their workforce as the country continues its fight against the pandemic.
“Considering the continuing State of Public Health Emergency, the overseas deployment of the medical and allied health workers is hereby temporarily suspended pursuant to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration Governing Board Resolution No. 09, series of 2020,” the IATF-EID said.
The task force, however, ordered the exemption of health care workers with perfected and signed contracts as of March 8 from the deployment ban.
Before leaving the country, health workers are asked to sign a declaration signifying their knowledge and understanding of the risks involved as advised by the Philippine government.
Earlier this month, the Palace announced that the government plans to hire 10,000 medical professionals to beef up the workforce battling the pandemic in the frontlines.
The government also committed to provide extra benefits to health workers, including risk allowance, P15,000 for those who get infected with coronavirus, life insurance, free transportation, and accommodation as well as free and frequent testing.
In April this year, the government banned doctors, nurses, microbiologists and other health workers from leaving to work abroad because of the pandemic.
The task force’s decision to stop health workers from leaving the country came two weeks after the medical community called for a timeout as well as tougher measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease. The medical frontliners had warned that the country’s health system has been overwhelmed by the surging cases.
President Rodrigo Duterte agreed to reimpose modified enhanced community quarantine in
Metro Manila and four nearby provinces from August 4 to 18.
On Monday however, the President announced that the National Capital Region, as well as the provinces of Laguna, Bulacan, Cavite and Rizal under the more relaxed general community quarantine.
Also placed under GCQ were Nueva Ecija, Batangas, Quezon, and the cities of Iloilo, Cebu, Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue and Talisay.
Source: TheManila Times
No comments: