Working conditions, better jobs abroad prompt health worker resignations
MANILA, Philippines — St. Luke’s Medical Center is facing manpower problems following the resignation of healthcare workers and the quarantine of others, an official said on Thursday.
"Workforce is the problem now… I’ll give you an example: from an original 66 nurses in the emergency room in [Bonifacio] Global [City], we are now down to only 43," Dr. Benjamin Campomanes, St. Luke’s executive vice president and chief medical officer, said in an interview with Teleradyo.
"The reason for that is resignations. Many left the country for opportunities," he added.
As the Philippines struggles to keep up with COVID-19, pressure continues to pile up on hospitals, which had been battling staff shortages even before the pandemic.
Last week, groups of health workers threatened to resign over unpaid allowances and poor working conditions.
Campomanes also said some medical workers are under quarantine after either testing positive for COVID-19 or being exposed to an infected individual.
In an advisory released on Wednesday, St. Luke’s said its COVID-19 wards and critical care units "are running at fully capacity".
"We also have patients in critical condition waiting for urgent admission at the emergency rooms," it said, requesting those experiencing COVID-19 symptoms to seek immediate care from other hospitals for the meantime.
The World Health Organization urged government officials to take measures to ensure that health workers receive adequate support.
"What is important is actually not just the beds, but to make sure there [are] doctors and nurses, and also there is sufficient equipment and also support to those working very hard," said Dr. Takeshi Kasai, WHO regional director for the Western Pacific.
The Philippines has so far reported 1.89 million COVID-19 cases, including 32,000 deaths, since the pandemic began.
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