Despite the lack of interested applicants, the Department of Health (DOH) is planning to hire around 10,000 more health workers who would continue the grueling fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) after majority of medical frontliners called for a time out.
“We are in need of almost 10,000 health care workers and this means the call for time out really needs a substitution,” Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega revealed during the launch of the Covid-19 Command Center in Makati.
“We will not end the game but rather, we will just have to find fresh or new recruits into the system so that efficiency of our health care workers will be there,” he added.
Last week, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire explained that the DOH is planning to give additional incentives for health care workers.
From August 4 to 18, Metro Manila and nearby provinces have been placed once again under a modified enhanced community quarantine after health professionals and medical societies begged for a “time out” due to overflowing of new Covid-19 patients in hospitals.
Meanwhile, the Palace approved the DOH’s plan of hiring 10,000 health professionals, while also calling all medical reservists to work in the country.
Malacañang added that President Rodrigo Duterte has also approved a P10,000 to P15,000 sickness benefit for health workers infected with Covid-19. RJ Espartinez