CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – Reacting to reports that a plane flew to Germany carrying 75 intensive care nurses, Misamis Oriental Representative Rufus Rodriguez urged the Department of Labor to stop such deployments.
“We need our health care personnel here at this time of public health emergency to attend to sick Filipino, and not to foreigners,” Rodriguez said.
The report was published by the online news website Rappler saying Germany sent a plane to Manila to ferry at least 75 nurses to care for Germans infected with Covid-19.
He said the deployment of health professionals to other countries is not a good idea as the country’s health care system is already overwhelmed with Covid-19 cases and many public and private hospitals are complaining of lack of personnel.
The lawmaker noted that even the Department of Health (DOH) is looking for volunteer doctors and nurses due to its depleted manpower.
In some medical facilities, some health personnel are even put on quarantine after exposing themselves to Covid-19 patients.
“We need those nurses bound for Germany and other jobs overseas to augment our dwindling public health workforce,” he said.
He said the deployment of health care workers to other countries could resume after the Philippines has successfully battled the coronavirus diseases.
At the same time, Rodriguez has urged the DOH to refrain from “asking for volunteers and nurses but to instead hire them and pay them professionally with competitive rates.”
He added the recruits should also be given hazard pay and special risk allowance.
“They should be properly compensated. They are our modern-day heroes,” Rodriguez said. (davaotoday.com)
