Filipino nurses who are seeking opportunities abroad may face another hindrance as the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has temporarily suspended the deployment of new hire nurses, nursing aides, and nursing assistants.
In its advisory, POEA said the annual deployment cap of 5,000 health workers has been reached.
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“Pursuant to POEA Governing Board Resolution No. 17, series of 2020 on the lifting of the moratorium or temporary suspension on the deployment of nurses, nursing aides, and nursing assistants until it reaches the annual deployment ceiling of 5,000 of new hires for healthcare workers, this Administration hereby announces that the said ceiling has been reached as of date,” the POEA said in a statement.
According to POEA Administrator Bernard Olalia, the processing and issuance of overseas employment certificates and the deployment of new hires for healthcare workers are hereby suspended effective immediately.
Meanwhile, healthcare workers who were already issued with their corresponding overseas employment certificates will be allowed to depart to their destination.
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Olalia said the Mission Critical Skills Technical Working Group (MCS-TWG) of the Labor department continually studies and deliberates the issue to come up with policy recommendations to the Inter-Agency Task Force for Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) for consideration or approval.
The POEA administrator earlier said it would ask IATF to increase the annual 5,000 cap om deployment of healthcare workers.
Here’s the full advisory from the POEA:
