Dr. Maria Rosario Vergeire —(Senate PRIB File Photo)
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday said it wanted to maintain the deployment cap for healthcare workers to address the healthcare workforce shortage.
“Kung kami po ang tatanungin sa Department of Health, we would like to sustain or maintain this cap na wala nang mag-i-increase pa sa mga naipapadala nating mga healthcare workers abroad,” said DOH officer in charge Maria Rosario Vergeire in a press briefing.
(If we were to be asked in the Department of Health, we would like to sustain or maintain this cap without increasing the number of healthcare workers we send abroad.)
Vergeire said this as she pointed to the migration of healthcare workers as one of the reasons the country currently faces a shortage in staffing in the health sector.
According to the acting DOH head, currently, there is a gap of around 106,000 healthcare workers in healthcare facilities nationwide, both public and private.
“Kung titignan po natin, kailangan lagi binabalanse ‘yun pong ating production doon sa migration o kaya doon sa mga na-de-deploy natin,” said Vergeire.
(If we look at it, we always have to balance our production with migration or those we deploy.)
“Hanggang sa kulang pa po ang produksyon sa mga specific healthcare workers profession na ito, sana po ‘yung deployment cap natin ay manatili na lamang sa ganoon,” she added.
(As long as the production in these specific healthcare workers’ professions is still insufficient, I hope our deployment cap will remain as it is.)
Because of this, Vergeire said the DOH is set to meet with the Department of Migrant Workers and the Department of Labor and Employment to address these problems.
The three agencies intend to tackle what incentives can be given to healthcare workers to stay in the country and what benefits the country and health workers could get from other countries that profit from these deployments.
“Ano ba ‘yung pwede natin gawing incentives para sa ating mga healthcare workers for them not to leave the country,” said Vergeire.
(What can we give as incentives for our healthcare workers for them not to leave the country.)
“[At] ano ang pwede namang maging kapalit para sa atin like scholarships, exchange programs, at iba pa para naman mas magkaroon tayo ng benepisyo with this migration, and also para naman mas magkaroon ang ating mga healthcare workers who are going abroad,” she added.
(And what we can get in exchange from other countries like scholarships, exchange programs, and others so that we can have more benefits with this migration, and also so that our healthcare workers who are going abroad can have more options on their career paths.)— with reports from Christian Paul Dela Cruz, INQUIRER.net trainee
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