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Duterte: US luring Filipino health care workers amid COVID-19 spread
President Duterte expressed concern that the United States' recruitment of Filipino nurses amid the COVID-19 pandemic is causing problems for the Philippines by depleting its own medical workforce.
Duterte indicated that the US was luring Filipino health care workers to deal with their own rising numbers of COVID-19 cases, with expedited visa processing.
He stated that the aggressive recruitment by the US could lead to a shortage of medical staff to treat local patients in the Philippines.
"Ngayon, ganito ang problema namin. America is part of the problem of the Filipinos now kasi sa karaming tinamaan sa kanila, marami nang patay," Duterte said.
The President's remarks came as the US had the highest number of COVID-19 infections globally, while the Philippines was also experiencing a rise in cases, which had ballooned to 4,932.
The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) hopes that not all Filipino health workers will leave the country during this crisis.
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