Manila Bulletin
Desperate for COVID-19 vaccines? Robredo urges gov’t to get it not at health workers’ expense
Vice President Leni Robredo expressed sadness over Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III's proposal to trade Filipino nurses for COVID-19 vaccines from the United Kingdom.
Robredo stated that viewing healthcare workers as a commodity is disheartening, especially given the desperation for vaccines.
She emphasized that the government should prioritize improving the conditions of local health workers to prevent them from seeking opportunities abroad.
Bello's request was made after the UK sought an exemption from the 5,000 deployment cap for Filipino healthcare workers.
The Labor Secretary suggested that the UK should provide vaccines for Filipino nurses before their deployment, considering the high COVID-19 incidence in the UK.
However, the British ambassador to the Philippines clarified that there are no plans to link vaccine provision to the recruitment of nurses.
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See how different news organizations are covering this story. Below are the original articles from various Philippine news sources that contributed to this summary.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III proposed that the UK provide COVID-19 vaccines in exchange for an exemption from the 5,000 deployment cap for Filipino healthcare workers.
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Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon criticized the Department of Labor and Employment's (DOLE) proposal to exchange Filipino nurses and healthcare workers for COVID-19 vaccines with the UK and Germany.
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The United Kingdom government has stated it will not link the deployment of Filipino nurses to the UK with the provision of COVID-19 vaccines.
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The Filipino Nurses United (FNU) strongly disapproved of a proposal attributed to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) that suggested trading Filipino nurses for COVID-19 vaccines.
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The Philippines commenced its COVID-19 vaccination program on March 1, 2021, using 600,000 Sinovac vaccine doses from China.
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