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Health workers at the Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital in Manila work through the long weekend on October 31, 2023. Makr Demayo, ABS-CBN News

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Health Workers Serving Through the Holidays

Izzy Lee

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:900px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/171654030533320231031-jose-fabella-workers-long-weekend-80.jpg" style="width:900px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left"><span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(51, 51, 51);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">Health workers at the Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital in Manila work through the long weekend on October 31, 2023. Makr Demayo, ABS-CBN News</span> </span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — Medical school classmates Angelo Baysa and Harley Bareng have decided to work in either the US or the UK after graduation, despite the Department of Health&#x27;s (DOH) plans to offer more benefits such as housing, among others.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/5/7/healthcare-workers-demand-higher-wage-job-security-1524">• Healthcare workers seek higher wages, job security</a></div><p>&quot;I&#x27;m going to take the boards sa other countries kasi in terms of the benefits and the salary sa ibang bansa, also the healthcare system sa ibang bansa mas better,&quot; Baysa said.</p><p>(I&#x27;m going to take the board exams in other countries because the benefits, salary, and healthcare system abroad are much better.)</p><p>&quot;Plan ng government to implement those plans pero &#x27;yung sa ibang other countries, implemented na siya.... Sa bansa natin i doubt na mai-implement ng maayos &#x27;yun na consistently,&quot; Bareng added.</p><p>(The government plans to implement those benefits, but in other countries, they are already in place. In our country, I doubt it will be implemented consistently.)</p><p>Ronn Rodulfo, another health worker, said that despite working a government hospital for over a decade, his salary remains insufficient, prompting him to consider working abroad.</p><p>&quot;If ever po na may maipangakong ganun sana po tuloy-tuloy yung pagbigay, maging consistent po... Minsan napapaisip ka na gusto mo ring mag-abroad? Hindi na po ang magsisinungaling, napapaisip po talaga. Wine-weigh ko na po talaga ‘yung options. Sa current na pangangailangan ko di na po talaga sumasapat eh,&quot; said Rodulfo, <span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:normal;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">a medical technologist. </span></p><p>(If ever such promises are made, I hope they are consistently fulfilled. Sometimes, I think about going abroad. I’m not going to lie; it’s a serious consideration. I’m weighing my options because my current needs are not being met.) </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>DOH SIDE<br/></strong></div><div> </div><p>To meet Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as reducing tuberculosis, maternal deaths, and HIV/AIDS cases, the Philippines needs around 512,000 healthcare workers. With approximately 302,000 practitioners currently inactive, there is a gap of 195,116 healthcare workers, according to DOH spokesperson Albert Domingo.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/12/22/raise-salaries-of-healthcare-workers-to-avoid-brain-drain-advocate">• Raise salaries of healthcare workers to avoid brain drain, says advocate</a></div><p>&quot;Ito ay isang estimasyon hindi siya yung tipong naka-distribute in the regions but in other words sa buong bansa gusto nating magkaroon tayo ng magandang health outcomes for the SGDs dapat mapunuan natin yung ganung number na yun,&quot; he said.</p><p>(This is an estimate and not distributed by regions. In other words, to achieve good health outcomes across the entire country and meet the SDGs, we need to fill that number of healthcare workers.)</p><p>Domingo noted that from 1992 to 2019, around 10,000 nurses and 350 doctors left the country annually. He said compensation schemes, particularly through PhilHealth, should be improved.</p><p>He said the government was working on improving nurses&#x27; salaries.</p><p>&quot;It will take a few years maybe five years or so but not so long kasi gumagawa po ng mga ospital, ‘di lang mga ospital kundi ng mga clinic nationwide kung saan kailangan natin ng doctors, more importantly nurses and midwives,&quot; he said.</p><p>(It will take a few years, maybe around five years, but not much longer because hospitals and clinics are being built nationwide, where we need doctors, and more importantly, nurses and midwives.)</p><p>&quot;Kasi kung mas marami ‘yung supply na pwedeng pagtrabahuhan sa labor market ‘yung demand na marami masasatisfy at di sila malulugi pagdating sa usaping sweldo,&quot; he added.</p><p>(Because if there&#x27;s a greater supply of workers available in the labor market, the demand will be satisfied, and they will not be disadvantaged in terms of salary.)</p><p>The DOH also plans to add more benefits for all healthcare workers, such as scholarships and housing, to encourage them to work and stay in the Philippines. However, these plans are still under continuous study and depend heavily on budget availability.</p><p>&quot;Papasok tayo sa buget season ngayon so kasama ‘yan sa proposals na aming ihahain for discussion... Fingers crossed kung mabilis at maganda ang adbokasiya at may perang available we can get that as early as next year but we cannot make commitments,&quot; Domingo said.</p><p>(We&#x27;re entering the budget season now, so that&#x27;s included in the proposals we&#x27;ll be submitting for discussion. Fingers crossed if advocacy goes well and funds are available, we can get that as early as next year, but we cannot make commitments.)</p><div> </div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO: </strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/u7FTm-W146s?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><div><br/></div>

<p>With approximately 302,000 practitioners currently inactive, there is a gap of 195,116 healthcare workers, according to DOH spokesperson Albert Domingo.</p>

With approximately 302,000 practitioners currently inactive, there is a gap of 195,116 healthcare workers, according to DOH spokesperson Albert Domingo.

Health students, workers go after overseas opportunities despite DOH promise

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Health students, workers go after overseas opportunities despite DOH promise

Izzy Lee,

ABS-CBN News

Published May 24, 2024 04:46 PM PHT

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DOH

healthcare workers

brain drain

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