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Two dozen nurses among 500 OFWs facing lay off in Qatar

DOHA: Around two dozen Filipino nurses have been retrenched by healthcare centers operated by Qatar government, the Philippines ambassador to Doha has informed.

This is the latest confirmation of layoffs at Hamad Medical Corp. (HMC), which come at a time when the country’s healthcare system is struggling to keep up with Qatar’s rapidly growing population, Doha News reported.
Ambassador Wilfredo Santos was quoted in the report that more than 500 Filipinos were being laid off by government-run firms in Qatar.

Santos further said that most of the affected expats were above the age of 55, and were given a two-month notice of termination to find new jobs.

While the Philippines embassy could not be reached for comment on the ambassador’s remarks, it posted a separate news story on its Facebook page saying the government in Manila was preparing for an influx of laid-off expats to return from the Middle East, the report said.

Other news reports quoted officials as saying the government had a “feasible plan” to ensure that some 1 million laid-off expats could get jobs after arriving home, but did not furnish further details.

Thousands of expats of various nationalities working in Qatar have lost their jobs over the last year as some of the country’s largest employers – including Qatar Petroleum, HMC, Sidra Hospital, Qatar Rail, RasGas and Maersk Oil – have reduced their budget in response to low oil prices and reduced government spending, Doha News reported.

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