Department of Health (DOH) Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire on Saturday (Oct. 2) said the agency is doing all it can to support health facilities and health workers that need help.
“As to the health care workers, tayo po ay gumagawa ano ng all means possible para makapag-suporta naman sa mga facilities natin na nangangailangan. We already have stocked the shelves of our other national government agencies at tumugon naman sila,” Vergeire said during the Laging Handa public briefing.
Bureau of Fire nurses and health care workers have been deployed to different hospitals and the DOH has asked help from the Armed Forces as well for additional medical personnel that can supplement other facilities all over the country.
The DOH is also working on benefits for health care workers and assures that the government will support them.
“Inaayos po naming maigi ang benepisyo po ng ating health care workers para po makapagbigay sa kanila ng kasiguruhan na sila po ay patuloy na susuportahan ng ating gobyerno lalung-lalo na ngayon na sila po iyong pinakamahalagang assets natin dito po sa ating bansa,” Vergeire said.
Meanwhile, the government cannot prevent Filipino health care workers from choosing to work abroad, Vergeire said.
“Mayroon ho tayong mga challenges talaga na ganiyan, hindi ho natin mapipigilan iyan eh dahil mayroon naman talagang ibang mga kababayan natin na health care workers that they would want, ito pong mga ganitong experience to work in other countries,” she said.
However, the government has regulatory functions that can be enforced when health care workers are lacking.
“Pero, ang government din ho kasi has regulatory functions. So, ina-assess po ng gobyerno ito pong ating exit at saka entry no, iyon pong ating mga napu-produce na health care workers,” Vergeire said.
“Iyong mga puwedeng umalis, iyon mga dito muna tayo kasi magsisilbi tayo sa ating gobyerno. So, the national government can have that kind of functions if and when dumating tayo sa punto na kukulangin talaga ang ating mga health care workers sa ating mga facility,” she added. –PG – bny
