POEA Increases Deployment Cap on Medical Frontline Workers to 7,000

Healthcare frontliners in the Philippines will gain more opportunities to search for careers abroad after the Philippine government increases the deployment cap on medical workers.

Deputy Administrator at the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Villamor Ventura Plan stated that the deployment cap in the country is now at 7,000, higher compared to the limit of 3,500 early last year.

POEA is also having a meeting with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Department of Health (DOH) to check if the deployment cap will prolong. Plan noted, that the country’s demand for medical workers must also be considered.

Plan expressed, “Our nurses need to find better opportunities. It would be hard if we will stop them.”

The Philippine government urged an annual cap of nurses and other medical frontliners seeking an opportunity abroad to guarantee that the country had sufficient health workers amid the pandemic.

Plan mentioned that there are more registered nurses after the licensure examination pushed through last year. Some exams have been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Plan cited that there are demands for Filipino medical health professionals in New Zealand and Australia.

Moreover, Plan noted that more countries including Taiwan, who has recently announced that they will re-open opportunities for Filipino workers.

Plan expressed that there are 5,000 Filipino workers ready to be sent to Taiwan once it re-opens its borders on February 15.

During the entire year, the Philippines can send 40,000 workers. Plan added, “yearly, pre-pandemic time, we are deploying to Taiwan about 70,000 OFWs.”

The Philippines government has also an agreement on sending workers to Germany and the Middle East.

However, despite the overseas opportunities, the government still pursues to provide jobs locally. Plan stated. “It’s still the policy of our government to give Filipinos work here as much as we can.”