CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu City government continues to urge nurses to apply under the city’s mass hiring after only a few applicants showed up recently.
The city targets to hire 200 medical healthcare workers but according to the Emergency Operations Center, only less than 14 applicants apply per week.
These medical healthcare workers will be assigned to the city's vaccination centers, barangay isolation centers, temporary treatment monitoring facilities, mega stay-in facility and other facilities intended for COVID-19 response.
“Atong hangyuon ang atong medical personnel, katong wala ka trabaho, ang Cebu City and City Health Department, nanginahanglan ta og mga doctors, nurses, midwives, encoders [and] pharmacists,” said Cebu City Health Department officer Dr. Jeffrey Ibones.
“Karon na-approve na ang atong budget, di na sila mahadlok nga di sila masweldoan og dugay-dugay,” said Ibones.
EOC deputy chief implementer and City Councilor Joel Garganera said some HCW applicants have retracted after learning they will be assigned to COVID wards and facilities.
“That's the dilemma right now of the Cebu City government, DOH (Department of Health), including Vicente Sotto [Memorial Medical Center] in the recruitment -- gamay ra gyud ang nisanong,” said Garganera.
He added that there were also nurses who opted to work in the business process outsourcing industry as it offers bigger salary and lesser risk.
“Do you think mo-duty na sila diha? Kanindot sa ilang kahimtang, way risgo, taas pang sweldo,” said Garganera.
For interested applicants, though, they can submit their application and requirements to the City Health Department’s administrative division. Requirements include three copies of their personal data sheet (CSC Form No. 212, which can be downloaded via www.csc.gov.ph and a photocopy of their PRC ID for medical officer III, nurse II, midwife I and pharmacist I).
For inquiries, they can call 402-9337.
Mobile vaccination a go
Meanwhile, Acting Mayor Michael Rama said the city will push through with its plan to do mobile vaccinations amid threat of the Delta variant.
“It will be done. We in the convenor body for vaccination and our City Health head Dr. Jeffrey Ibones here, we already have a template on it. We will pursue a mobile vaccination,” he said.
Rama, however, said he does not know yet as to how many mobile units will be created.
Mobile vaccination services are envisioned to keep the city’s vaccination efforts closer to the communities, especially to the underprivileged and older vaccinees.
More vaccination sites are also being eyes in the mountain barangays of Cebu City.
So far, some 470,000 individuals have registered for the vaccination in the city. Out of this number, about 130,000 are already done with their first shot while 90,000 have been fully vaccinated. — Dianah Rule D. Salinguhay, CNU Comm Intern, JMD (FREEMAN)