More and more Filipino Health Care Workers (HCWs) will be deployed overseas. According to a report shared by the Philippine News Agency on December 10, 2021, the ceiling limit of employees in the health sector has been raised from 6,500 to 7,000.
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There is an existing temporary deployment cap on health care workers to be sent abroad because authorities want to ensure that there are enough workers to assist in the current pandemic situation.
Health care workers’ deployment ceiling has been increased to 7,000
After the Inter-Agency Task Force for Managing Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) approved Resolution 153 on Thursday, acting Presidential Spokesperson Karlo Nograles announced the decision to the public.
Nurses with visas set to expire on Dec. 31, 2021, will be given preference when it comes time for them to go overseas.
The Executive Secretary’s Memorandum of November 20, 2020 vested the IATF with authority to increase the annual deployment capacity for new hire healthcare workers in Mission Critical Skills occupations identified by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
In November, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) halted the appointment and deployment of HCWs, particularly nurses, as a result of the yearly cap of 6,500 overseas employment having been reached.
However, given that there is a rising demand in the health industry overseas, the IATF-EID made the recommendation to consider increasing the ceiling of HCWs who can be deployed.
Hospital Workers in Demand Abroad
This decision is great news for Filipinos working as nurses, care givers, and people working in hospitals. As this means more job opportunities abroad, they can expect a competitive salary, especially when working as front liners abroad. More importantly, it gives them a better future for themselves and their families.
In addition to these, there are also benefits in sending health care workers abroad such as an increase in remittances, which is the money sent back to the Philippines by workers abroad. For sure, this is one of the biggest sources of income in the country.
It will be interesting to see how this increase in Filipino health care workers overseas will affect other countries that are battling with the pandemic.
POEA reminds everyone that if you apply for a job, please go through licensed POEA agencies to avoid becoming victims of illegal recruitment.