The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration earlier signed an order temporarily restricting health workers from leaving the country to work abroad until the national state of emergency is lifted.
However, Robredo said that instead of implementing a deployment ban, the government should consider giving health workers higher compensation that will convince them to stay.
“Kaya ba nating mabigay sa kanila iyong dine-deserve nila na compensation? Kasi kung hindi, hindi natin iyon mapipigilan [umalis],” Robredo said.
[Translation: Can we give them the compensation they deserve? Because if not, we cannot stop them from leaving.]
The vice president cited government efforts in other countries to entice more medical workers amid the coronavirus outbreak.
In America, they do not require nurses and doctors from other states to work in New York which has the highest number of COVID-19 infections and deaths in the country, Robredo said. Instead, they offer “attractive packages,” such as free transportation, free accommodation, and higher pay to medical frontliners.
“So ito, isang paraan ito para ma-hold mo dito sa atin iyong mga health workers,” she said. [Translation: So, that is one way to make health workers stay in the country.] Robredo also mentioned that officials in the United Kingdom thank Filipino nurses, as they are among those at the forefront of battling the health crisis.
The vice president added that Filipinos only leave the country “out of necessity” as there are not much opportunities offering high compensation in the Philippines. If given the choice, they would not leave their families, she said.
In the Philippines, nurses receive an average monthly income of ₱8,000 to ₱13,500, according to data from the Department of Labor and Employment. Doctors, on the other hand, receive a monthly income of around ₱20,000 to ₱35,000.
Meanwhile, Western countries have been offering expedited visa processes and significantly higher incentives to attract health workers from the Philippines and other countries during the pandemic.
“So sa akin, dapat maging turning point ito sa kung papaano natin i-treat iyong ating health workers,” Robredo said.
[Translation: So for me, this should be a turning point as to how we treat our health workers.]
The country has so far recorded 4,648 confirmed COVID-19 infections, with 297 deaths and 197 recoveries. Globally, there are over 1,778,500 people who have contracted the viral disease. Of this number, over 108,900 resulted in death, while some 404,800 patients have already recovered.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 12) — Health workers in the country should be afforded higher incentives if the government is to ban them from working overseas, Vice President Leni Robredo said Sunday.
