DOH to hire 857 new health workers to help in COVID-19 fight
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health will hire 857 more healthcare workers to beef up its manpower as the Philippines faces a surge in the number of individuals infected with the new coronavirus.
In his latest report to Congress, President Rodrigo Duterte said the Department of Budget and Management approved the DOH’s request for the engagement of additional healthcare workers.
The new healthcare personnel will be hired as contract of service workers. They will be deployed to the Lung Center of the Philippines, the Philippine General Hospital and the Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Medical—hospitals designated as COVID-19 referral facilities.
Majority of the additional manpower are nurses at 267, followed by nursing assistants at 204 and ward assistants at 118. The government will also hire 85 respiratory therapists, 82 medical officers, 36 ambulance drivers, 35 radiologic technologists and 30 medical equipment technicians.
The hiring of additional contract of service workers will cost the DOH P35.823 million monthly, according to the report.
The agency on Monday said it would deploy 300 volunteer medical technologists, molecular biologists, laboratory technicians and researchers. Currently, there are 15 certified laboratories for COVID-19 testing across the archipelago.
“The additional manpower translates to longer lab hours and hence more tests,” Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said in a briefing Tuesday.
The expanded testing for COVID-19 is expected to start Tuesday, with the government targeting to conduct 8,000 tests by the end of the month.
The Philippines has so far reported 4,832 COVID-19 infections. Of the figure, 315 have died, while 242 have recovered.
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