Filipino nurses (File photo from the Philippine Daily Inquirer)
MANILA, Philippines — The United Kingdom and Germany are seeking an exemption from the 5,000 per year limit on deployment of Filipino nurses and other health care workers, with the latter hoping to hire some 15,000 Filipino medical workers.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III revealed on Monday that representatives of the two nations are negotiating with the Philippine government for an exemption from the deployment cap.
“We are now negotiating with the United Kingdom because the United Kingdom government has requested that they be exempted from the deployment cap of 5,000 cap a year and it is under negotiation,” he said in a Senate hearing.
“Another country, which is Germany, is also requesting for a deployment of 15,000 medical workers and these are all subject to discussion,” Bello added.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III (Albert Calvelo/Senate PRIB)
Bello explained that the deployment cap does not cover returning workers as it will only cover new hires.
In November last year, the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) announced that President Rodrigo Duterte had already lifted the deployment ban on health-care workers, but only up to 5,000 were allowed to leave every year.
Last year, the government suspended the deployment of doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers abroad to preserve human resources in fighting the novel coronavirus pandemic.