By Pearl Gumapos
Department of Health (DOH) Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire on Saturday (Sept. 25) said the DOH’s emergency hiring of doctors and nurses is still ongoing due to the lack of medical staff in hospitals.
“Our emergency hiring is still being implemented kung saan mayroon ho kaming mga hina-hire na mga health care workers to augment staff in the hospitals,” Vergeire said during the Laging Handa public briefing.
She said the DOH is also currently working on giving hospital staff their promised benefits.
“Ito pong kanilang mga benepisyo ay talagang inaayos po natin sa ngayon. We are lobbying for budget so that we can be able to continuously provide these additional benefits to our health care workers,” she said.
“Sinisiguro namin iyong kanilang kaligtasan. Kaya nga po kami ay nagka-townhall meetings with them last week sa ating mga iba’t ibang klase ng health care workers at ipinaliwanag sa kanila kung ano naman po ang mga plano ng DOH para matugunan ang pagtaas ng mga kaso ng health care workers na nagkakasakit sa ngayon,” she added.
According to Vergeire, the DOH now has purposive hiring
“So, sa ngayon po katulad ng sabi natin, nagkakaroon kami ng purposive hiring para po sa mga facilities natin para madagdagan and hopefully iyong ating long term na plan is for us to be able to generate or produce on our own,” she said.
“Kaya po dapat binabantayan natin iyong mga nag-e-enroll sa ating mga eskuwelahan na health care workers, makita natin kung ano iyong specific type ng health care workers na kulang na kulang tayo sa bansa para ma-produce natin iyan in the coming years,” she added. – bny
