PH lifts cap on deployment of healthcare workers to UK
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello 3rd disclosed it on Wednesday after he and British Minister for Asia Amanda Milling signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the recruitment of healthcare workers from the Philippines.
Bello said that the signing of the MOU formalized the lifting of quotas for Filipino nurses and other healthcare workers bound for the UK.
“With the British government’s request for exemption from the deployment quota, the Philippine government assessed its own need for healthcare workers vis-a-vis the needs of other countries,” Bello, in a statement, said.
“We acknowledged it was also our duty to help other countries in their fight against the pandemic as a member of the community of nations. Thus, the Philippine government acceded to the request, with a colatilla that the healthcare professionals to be deployed will be further protected through a bilateral labor agreement,” he added.
The MOU also provides the general rule on the promotion of their welfare in accordance with Philippine and British laws and regulations.
A 5,000 yearly deployment cap for nurses has been imposed by the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to make sure that the Philippines would still have an ample supply of nurses for the local healthcare system as the country continues to grapple with the health pandemic.
Exempt from the rule includes, among others,, the “balik manggagawa (returning workers)” who are in the country for vacation and those deployed under government to government agreement.
The IATF, through the recommendation of Bello, had approved the UK’s request for exemption from the 5,000 yearly deployment limit.
London Labor Attaché Amuerfina Reyes had reported that UK needed at least 50,000 nurses until 2024.
“Based on the information that we have, there is a big demand for nurses in the UK, their requirement is up to 50,000 nurses up to 2024 and they truly prioritize Filipinos,” Reyes said.
Germany has also requested the Philippine government for an exemption from the 5,000 per year deployment cap for Filipino nurses and other health care workers.
Germany has an initial request of 15,000 nurses.
Source: PH lifts cap on deployment of healthcare workers to UK | The Manila Times