Albay Representative Edcel Lagman urged the doctors and nurses in the Philippines not to be swayed by big salaries being offered by other countries and prioritize helping the country amid the COVID-19 crisis.
“Patriotism and self-protection in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic demand the temporary ban on overseas deployment of Filipino healthcare professionals and workers like physicians, nurses, and laboratory technicians,” Rep. Edcel Lagman said in a statement issued Saturday.
According to Lagman, the Philippines should focus on hiring all possible healthcare workers in the country to fight the rising cases of the virus.
“With the Philippines’ unabated escalation of the number of persons under investigation (PUIs), persons under monitoring (PUMs), and persons confirmed positive for the novel coronavirus, we need all available medical professionals and healthcare workers to assist in the campaign against the viral menace,” Lagman said.
To attract the nurses and doctors to work in the country, Lagman suggested that the government should be compensated more.
“The ban must be coupled with a hefty increase in the salaries and allowances, including hazard pay of medical frontline personnel in both public and private health facilities,” Lagman who’s also one of the lawmakers who rejected the Bayanihan We Heal As One act said.
Lagman made the statement after he discovered that the U.S. Department of State: Consular Affairs said that they’re looking to hire international medical staff to handle the increasing number of coronavirus cases in the country.
“We encourage medical professionals seeking work in the U.S. on a work or exchange visitor visa (H or J), particularly those working on #COVID19 issues, to contact the nearest U.S. Embassy/ Consulate for a visa appointment,” U.S Department of State: Consular Affairs Facebook page wrote.
Some Filipinos also commented on the Facebook post of the bureau and expressed their interest in working there to join the fight against coronavirus in the US.
As of writing, the Philippines already reported 803 confirmed cases of coronavirus.