Pres. Duterte approves overseas Filipino health workers to work abroad as restriction for leaving eases

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has approved the easing of restrictions for overseas Filipino health workers, announced by Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque on Monday, September 21.

Photo credit: news.abs-cbn.com

Duterte said that he has allowed health professionals to leave the country for work abroad with complete documentation as of August 31, 2020.

Earlier, only the overseas health workers with overseas employment certificates (OECs) issued by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and verified contacts as of March 8 were allowed to leave the Philippines. The Philippines initially suspended the deployment of doctors, nurses and healthcare workers abroad effective April 2.

The ban was aimed to prioritize human resource allocation for the national health care system at the time of the national state of emergency, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration said in a memorandum.

Basing from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Spokesperson Roque said that some 1,500 stand to benefit from the easing of restrictions.

Health workers have repeatedly pleaded with the government officials to allow them to leave for their jobs abroad. They've said that they needed it for their families. Many health workers also said they had spent thousands of pesos and had waited months for visas that were about to expire.

Overseas health workers have opted to work abroad due to low wages and poor working conditions in the country.

Aside from nurses, other health professionals allowed to leave were the following:

Medical doctor/physician

Nurse

Microbiologist

Molecular biologist

Clinical analyst

Respiratory therapist

Pharmacist

Laboratory technician

X-ray/radiologic technician

Nursing assistant/nursing aid

Operator of medical equipment

Supervisor of health services and personal care

While the president was okay with decision of health workers to leave, he appealed to them to remain in the country during the coronavirus outbreak.

Meanwhile, the Philippines confirmed 3,311 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday bringing the country’s total to 286,743.

The Department of Health also reported 20,021 new recoveries as the DOH implemented its weekly “mass recovery” pushing the total number of Filipinos who recovered from the disease to 229,865.