THE Philippines will be limiting the number of healthcare workers to be deployed in 2022 to only 7,000, as the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic remains present.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, in a recent interview, said only 7,000 nurses and other healthcare professionals will be allowed to be deployed in 2022.
"The Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) has approved 7,000," Bello said.
He said this is because the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) wants to adhere to the directives of President Rodrigo Duterte.
"What is important is we do not run out of health care workers," Bello said.
The labor chief, however, stressed that they are not ruling out the possibility of adjusting the cap.
"It will depend on the situation next year," said Bello.
THE Philippine Overseas Employment Administration initially imposed a 5,000 annual deployment cap for healthcare workers.
Subsequently, the deployment cap was raised to 6,500 upon the request of DOLE.
Earlier in December, the IATF-EID increased the cap to 7,000 in all. (HDT/SunStar Philippines)