DOLE, POEA recommend extending medical workers' deployment deadline to Aug 31

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) recommended to the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) to extend the cut-off date for the deployment of medical workers with completed overseas requirements from March 8 to August 31.

This recommendation was made following appeals from nurses and medical workers who were unable to meet the original deadline.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III personally endorsed the POEA's resolution to the IATF, expressing confidence in its approval.

Bello estimates that approximately 1,200 nurses would be deployed under this extended period, which he believes would not significantly impact the country's local healthcare workforce.

The IATF is expected to discuss the matter, with the final decision resting with President Duterte.

The POEA had initially imposed a deployment ban on various healthcare professionals in April, citing concerns over dwindling local human resources amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Senator Nancy Binay has called for a Senate inquiry into the government's deployment ban policy following an incident where nurses with employment contracts were barred from leaving the country.