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Some LGUs at risk of losing health workers

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Davinci Maru, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="ABS-CBN News/File" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/life/12/14/20200508-qmmc-health-worker-moms-gcs-0218-sel.jpg"/><figcaption>The female dressing room of the endoscopy unit at the Quirino Memorial Medical Center on May 8, 2020. Gigie Cruz, ABS-CBN News/File</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA — Some of the poorest communities in the Philippines are at risk of losing healthcare workers because of the full devolution of health services from national government to the local government units.In Lanuza, Surigao del Sur, nurses and midwives are facing threat of unemployment because the LGU can&#x27;t afford to hire them all.&quot;Ang mangyayari &#x27;yung mga 13 or 15 na mga nurses and midwives deployed sa municipality namin madi-displaced sila,&quot; Lanuza municipal health officer Dr. Alberto Antonio Jr. told ANC&#x27;s &quot;Rundown&quot;.&quot;Maiiwan nalang mga around 3 or 4 mga regular hired. Hindi namin kasi kayang tapatan &#x27;yung budget na binibigay sa kanila na salary ng Department of Health.&quot;The country has started the process of full devolution or transferring key government functions to LGUs, which is expected to be completed in 2024.The responsibility of hiring health personnel now falls on the LGUs but some of them can&#x27;t match the salary given by the DOH.According to Antonio, scores of DOH-deployed health workers will be affected by the devolution.&quot;This is not just happening here. It&#x27;s happening everywhere with around 18,000 nurses and 6,000 midwives currently deployed by the Department of Health lahat sila affected because of the devolution,&quot; he said.With this dilemma, the public loses at the end of the day.&quot;If wala namang mga nurses or midwives na magde-deliver ng health services sa kanila, at the end of the day, &#x27;yung mga patients lang din naman &#x27;yung natatalo,&quot; said Antonio, also a doctor to the barrio.He urged LGUs to regularize healthcare workers.&quot;We really have to regularize our healthcare workers, especially parang after a health crisis that&#x27;s the perfect time for you to take advantage of health reforms,&quot; Antonio said. &quot;So, habang presko pa sa atin ang COVID pandemic, you have to take that opportunity and emphasize health to our local government leaders.&quot;<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/28/22/gomez-warns-of-budget-crisis-in-local-governments">Gomez warns of &#x27;budget crisis&#x27; in local government units</a></li></ul>President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. has assured LGUs of his commitment and support for the implementation of their devolution plans as the Mandanas ruling takes effect this year. The 2018 Supreme Court ruling entitles local governments to a share of all national taxes. LGUs previously got their internal revenue allotment from 40 percent of the national internal revenue taxes gotten by the Bureau of Internal Revenue. Local governments this year received 30 to 35 percent more national tax allotment.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/05/18/22/nearly-all-local-govts-have-submitted-devolution-plans-dilg">Nearly all local govts have submitted devolution plans: DILG</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/01/22/marcos-assures-municipalities-of-support-in-devolution-plans">Marcos assures municipalities of support in devolution plans</a></li></ul><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2379552" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

Some LGUs are at risk of losing of their healthcare workers because of the full devolution of health services from national government.

Some LGUs at risk of losing health workers

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Some LGUs at risk of losing health workers

Davinci Maru,

ABS-CBN News

Published Dec 14, 2022 03:34 PM PHT

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ANC

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healthcare workers

Dr. Alberto Antonio Jr

Lanuza

Surigao del Sur

devolution

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