President Rodrigo R. Duterte approved the lifting of the deployment ban of nurses, nursing aides, and nursing assistants as recommended by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque confirmed the matter Monday stating that President Duterte wishes to give the healthcare workers a chance to earn more in other countries. Another consideration is the availability of the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine in the near future.
“Malapit na magkaroon ng bakuna laban sa sakit na ito. Inisip na rin ng ating Pangulo na panahon na nga para sa mga nais naman na mapabuti ang kanilang buhay ay magkaroon ng pagkakataon. (The vaccine against COVID-19 will be available soon. Our President thought that it is time for those who want to have a better life to have the opportunity [to do so]).”
Secretary Roque also disclosed that the spread of COVID-19 in the country has slowed down.
However, an annual ceiling of 5,000 deployed healthcare workers will be implemented per year starting January 1, 2021 to ensure that the number of medical workers in the Philippines is still sufficient.
The deployment ban was imposed early 2020 to ensure the safety of Filipino citizens against COVID-19 and that there are enough health professionals to address the virus – Report from Mela Lesmoras/PTV News Online
