UK bid for exemption from healthcare workers deployment cap pending with IATF — Bello

(INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / RICHARD A. REYES)

MANILA, Philippines — The request of the United Kingdom for exemption from the 5,000 per year limit on the hiring and deployment of Filipino nurses and other health care workers is now pending with the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said Thursday. 

 “Napadala ko na ang sulat ko kay Presidente.  Nakapending pa sa technical working group ng IATF,” Bello said on ABS-CBN’s Teleradyo. 

 (I have already sent the letter to the President. It is pending with the technical working group of the IATF.)

 “Ang nakapending dun ay ‘yung request ng UK na ma-exempt sila sa deployment cap or deployment limitation,” he added.

 (The request of UK to be exempted from the deployment cap is pending.)

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III. FILE PHOTO

 Bello refused to disclose if the UK has agreed to the request of DOLE to have the health workers vaccinated against Covid-19 before they can be deployed, pending approval of the IATF and the President to the UK’s request. 

 Bello earlier said that the United Kingdom and Germany are seeking an exemption from deployment limit for Filipino nurses and other health care workers.

He said Germany is hoping to hire some 15,000 Filipino medical workers. 

But on Wednesday, Bello clarified that only UK made the request and that Germany did not officially ask for an exemption in the deployment cap.

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