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DOH expedites hiring of health workers

By Ma. Teresa Montemayor

August 4, 2020, 8:54 pm

MANILA – The Department of Health (DOH) is finalizing the details of how to expedite the formation of the “reserve health workers team” for hospitals and medical centers in Metro Manila and neighboring regions amid the rising coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) infections.

Sa kasalukuyan po ay pinag-uusapan ng departamento na pabilisin ang pag-recruit ng mga health care workers (HCWs) mula sa mga probinsya. Pangungunahan po ng iba’t ibang opisina sa DOH ang pag-hire ng mga ating mga human resource for health (HRH) para sa National Capital Region (NCR), Region 3 (Central Luzon), at Region 4-A (Calabarzon) lalo na sa mga public and private hospitals and medical centers (The department is currently working to speed up the recruitment of HCWs from the provinces. The DOH offices will lead the hiring of HRH for NCR, Region 3, and Region 4-A, especially in public and private hospitals and medical centers),” the DOH said in a message sent to reporters on Tuesday.

To entice other medical graduates who are currently unemployed to join the workforce, the DOH is looking into “providing additional benefits and incentives for both the private and the public HCWs”.

“We will release the additional benefits once approved,” it said.

The DOH added that it continues to monitor infections among HCWs.

In its August 3 situation report, the DOH recorded 5,096 health care workers who have tested positive for Covid-19.

Of the figure, 4,652 or 91.3 percent have recovered, 39 (0.8 percent) have died, and 405 (7.9 percent) are active cases.

Of the active cases, 268 or 66.2 percent are mild, 134 (33.1 percent) are asymptomatic, two (0.5 percent) are in severe in condition, and one (0.2 percent) in critical condition.

“Health workers with no symptoms but with relevant history of travel or contact are already included in the testing, according to the Department Memorandum 2020-0258, entitled the Updated Interim Guidelines on Expanded Testing for Covid-19 released last May 29,” the DOH said. (PNA)

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