DOH to deploy 13,000 more nurses, midwives in provinces

MANILA, Philippines -  Residents in various provinces and far-flung areas nationwide can soon enjoy better services in government hospitals and other medical facilities.

The Department of Health (DOH) yesterday reported that 13,000 more nurses and midwives will be deployed next month to the country’s provincial hospitals and other health facilities, under the DOH’s Registered Nurses for Health Enhancement and Local Service (RNHeals) project.

DOH said the recruitment of 10,000 nurses and 3,000 midwives is already ongoing and is expected to be completed by the end of the month.

“The recruitment and selection shall be done by the respective Center for Health Development (CMDs) to be completed by February,” the DOH said.

Prior to actual placement and deployment, the newly hired nurses and midwives shall undergo general orientation scheduled on the first week of March.

According to the DOH, those who were previously hired under the same program and rendered satisfactory services until the end of their contract next week can re-apply.

The government deployed the first batch of 10,000 nurses last year and another batch of 11,500 nurses and 1,000 midwives last November.

For the past years, the DOH and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) have embarked on the RNHeals project in an effort to augment the inadequate nursing workforce in DOH hospitals and a number of health facilities of local government units.