DOH gets DBM nod to hire 15,000 health workers
The government will hire more than 15,000 health workers to increase the number of frontliners in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
“To boost the number of healthcare frontliners, the DBM (Department of Budget and Management) has approved the request of the DOH (Department of Health) for the engagement of an additional 15,757 healthcare professionals under contract of service for a period of three months,” President Duterte said in a report submitted to Congress last Monday.
The DBM approved a P2.7-billion outlay for the hiring of additional health personnel. The DOH originally sought a budget of P5.2 billion to hire 17,757 personnel, according to the President’s report submitted to Congress last April 14.
The budget for the hiring will be charged against available released allotment of the DOH under the 2020 budget.
Duterte said as of April 22, the DOH has received requests from seven
hospitals for emergency hiring of healthcare personnel and has approved 701 slots for hiring in five hospitals.
The agency has redeployed a total of 639 nurses to its office and to local hospitals handling coronavirus cases. A total of 130 healthcare personnel have been trained to collect and encode case data, 14 of whom are now assigned to 12 hospitals in Metro Manila
“This number is expected to increase as 97 HRH (human resources for health) were scheduled for deployment to 51 hospitals last April 24, 2020,” Duterte said in the report.
The President also reported that as of April 23, a total of 1,101 COVID-referral hospitals have been designated across the country, with every region having at least one hospital. The total number of dedicated beds for coronavirus cases is 7,732 while the total number of mechanical ventilators for both private and public hospitals is 1,381.
Duterte said the DBM has approved and issued a special allotment release order for P45.717 billion to cover the funding requirements for DOH’s COVID-19 response.
The order includes the allotment of P1.35 billion for the purchase of 1,500 units of mechanical ventilators to serve the needs of DOH hospitals, selected local government and military hospitals and the Philippine General Hospital.
In his public address last Monday, Duterte vowed to buy more protective equipment to ensure the safety of frontliners.
“We still lack (protective equipment), we are still in the process of buying several protective personal protection kits for our frontliners and medical people. I am informed that this will be completed in due time,” he said.
Senators, meanwhile, are pressing for the immediate creation of an agency that would lead in the country’s preparations and response to disease outbreaks.
Sen. Grace Poe said investments to build and enhance the country’s expertise in disease prevention and control have become imperative as the COVID-19 has caught nations unprepared and scrambling for solution.
“We need to catalyze support for a proactive and efficient health system with increased capacities to prevent and control the spread of new or recurring infectious diseases,” Poe said.