TWO government-run hospitals in Quezon City – the Novaliches District Hospital (NDH) and the Rosario Maclang Belmonte General Hospital (RMBGH) – have hundreds of jobs up for grabs but not enough people to fill them up.
In the 2023 audit of Quezon City government released on Dec. 13, 2024, the personnel section of both hospitals lamented that too few applicants have shown interest for permanent posts as physicians, nurses, and other skilled support staff.
Out of 695 regular positions available, only 248 have been filled up, leaving 447 still vacant.
Funded by the country’s single richest local government unit, neither hospital has trouble payroll wise, with the city’s Human Resource and Management Department (HRMD) releasing a budget allocation of P312.3 million in 2023.
As of yearend 2023, however, state auditors noted that there remained 128 unfilled posts in NDH and 319 more at RMBGH.
Left with no other recourse, they had to hire contracts of service (COS) and job order (JO) personnel who were assigned to perform jobs that should have been entrusted to regular employees.
“An interview with the head of the personnel section of the city hospitals revealed that the hiring of COS and JOs was due to the significant increase in the volume of patients served during the year and to augment the existing hospital’s manpower complement,” the audit team said.
The Quezon City HRMD head assured auditors that recruitment and selection programs are regularly conducted to attract applicants.
“However, despite the department’s efforts, they have not received a sufficient number of applicants to address the unfilled workforce,” the COA said.
The Commission expressed concern that the deficiency in skilled health professionals could affect the delivery of quality and consistent healthcare services to hospital patients.
In its comment to the audit findings, the city government said it will reassess the hiring processes to prioritize hiring hospital staff for permanent positions rather than temporary ones.
As a long-term solution, it said, it will look into the inclusion of medical courses on the city university and to entice graduates to serve in the city hospitals to augment their workforce.
