Villanueva lauds lifting of ban on health workers deployment

Senator Joel Villanueva lauded the executive department's reconsideration of its earlier move to prohibit healthcare workers from leaving the country.

The government has decided to allow Filipino overseas health workers with existing contracts to return to their jobs abroad.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. disclosed this following a meeting of the Interagency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious Disease.

Villanueva expressed gladness that the ban was lifted, stating that the sweeping ban puts health workers at risk of losing their jobs abroad and impacts their income.

However, he reiterated his appeal for concerned government agencies to trace all unemployed healthcare workers to augment the country's workforce fighting COVID-19.

Locsin stated that the government will freeze future applications until further notice, provided all nurses are given employment.

The lifting of the deployment ban on health workers is subject to President Duterte's approval.