Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 25) — The House Committee on Health has created a technical working group that will consolidate various positions on measures pushing for the establishment of a medical reserve corps.
In a virtual meeting on Tuesday, lawmakers underscored the need to ensure that there will be enough health workers in times of disasters and emergencies. They are proposing to recruit even non-licensed graduates of different medical courses.
The Philippine Medical Association agreed, but it also pointed that out non-licensed graduates should only work under the supervision of licensed practitioners.
“Yun pong walang mga license we can use them in the telemedicine kasi they are not directly concerned with the patient,” PMA Vice President Benito Atienza said.
[Translation: Those without license, we can use them in the telemedicine because they are not directly concerned with the patient.]
Health committee chairperson Quezon 4th district representative Angeline Tan said she believes those who finished a four-year medical course should be qualified.
“Definitely we have to define yung hanggang saan lang ang functions na pwede nilang gawin. So that ma-prevent din natin yung mga legal implications should we call them on duty kasi buhay yung hahawakan nila,” Tan said.
[Translation: Definitely, we have to define the extent of the functions they can serve. So we can also prevent legal implications should we call them on duty because they will be responsible for people’s lives.]
The Philippine Nurses Association, for its part, encouraged the recruitment of nurses as long as there are clear provisions on salary and benefits. The group said it is still trying to find out why there is a shortage of nurses despite the high number registered with the Professional Regulation Committee.
“We have so many nurses, we have so many in the roster of the PRC. We are looking where are the whereabouts?,” Philippine Nurses Association president Dr. Rosie De Leon explained.
Doctors’ groups have appealed for help as medical frontliners feel the strain of attending to the still-increasing number of COVID-19 patients, with thousands of them already infected.
A similar bill seeking the creation of a medical reserve corps has been filed at the Senate.
