Home>News>Nation>Gov’t urged to hire health workers affected by deployment ban
Nation

Gov’t urged to hire health workers affected by deployment ban

SENATOR Joel Villanueva on Monday said the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) should raise its coordination efforts with the Department of Health (DOH) in facilitating the hiring of healthcare workers whose overseas deployment has been suspended indefinitely by the government due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Villanueva, chair of the Senate labor committee, explained that healthcare workers were caught in a bind when the ban was implemented in April. Aside from their incomes, healthcare workers also spent for other employment requirements such as language proficiency and other relevant certifications that would eventually expire.

“While we understand that the intention was clear, the ban impacts the ability of healthcare workers to provide for their families. The government should make good on its commitment to hire healthcare workers, especially those affected by the ban,” Villanueva said in a statement.

“We must understand that our healthcare workers have spent significantly on their requirements. There is no guarantee that our government would reimburse them for their expenses, so the least it can do is facilitate and expedite their hiring in our healthcare system,” the lawmaker continued. “Otherwise, if we cannot follow through our commitment, we might as well just lift the ban altogether.”

Villanueva also sought clarification from the labor department on the supposed coverage of affected healthcare workers to its Abot Kamay sa Pagtulong (AKAP) financial assistance program for overseas Filipino workers.

Under the program guidelines, qualified OFWs must either be displaced due to their host country’s imposition of lockdowns or community quarantines; must either be overseas, about to return abroad as balik manggagawa; and must not receive any financial support from employers or their host country.

The lawmaker also called on the health department to specify how many healthcare workers does it need for the public health system so labor authorities can also “assess how long this ban could be enforced.”