The Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) will issue a resolution regarding the proposal to ease the existing deployment ban of health workers.
According to Department of Health (DOH) Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, health workers are now allowed to leave the country under the resolution provided that their contracts were signed on August 31.
“Of course, we are inclined to support this proposal kung mayroon na silang (if they have a) perfected contract. So kailangan, ma-honor din naman yung contracts na ‘yun kasi napirmahan na nila ‘yan. Pangalawa, may benepisyo din naman ‘yan for the society. (So, the contracts need to be honored since they have already been signed. Second, it will also benefit the society).”
She clarified that the deployment ban is only temporary and aims to fill the lack of human resources for health amidst the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. – Report from Mark Fetalco
