The Department of Health and the Department of Migrant Workers on Tuesday launched a reintegration program to help returning overseas Filipino nurses and other health workers find employment in the Philippines.
The initiative, dubbed “Sa Pinas Ikaw ang Nurse ng Bayan” (SPIB), aims to connect returning health professionals with local job opportunities while providing psychosocial support as they transition back to work in the country.
DMW Assistant Secretary Francis de Guzman said 312 returning health workers, most of whom recently came home from the Middle East, have already signed up for the program.
“They recently returned from the Middle East. We have profiled 312 of them,” De Guzman said during a press briefing.
Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said results of the agency’s inbound profile survey showed that 60% to 70% of repatriated overseas Filipino workers from the Middle East chose to return to the Philippines because of security concerns.
He said about 10,000 Filipinos have been repatriated from the region, including around 2,000 children of OFWs.
Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa, meanwhile, said many returning nurses had already completed their contracts abroad and opted not to renew them.
He also disputed claims that the Philippines is running out of nurses, saying compensation and benefits in both the public and private healthcare sectors have improved.
Cacdac said the nursing program complements the government’s “Sa Pinas, Ikaw ang Ma’am/Sir” initiative, which helps returning overseas Filipino teachers secure jobs in the country’s public school system.
The program was launched during the 2026 Migrant Workers Health Summit in Quezon City, where government agencies are providing free medical services and other assistance to overseas Filipino workers and their families through July 1.
