THE Department of Health yesterday said there are no more applicants for the emergency hiring program for human resources for health (HRH).
“Unfortunately, it is getting harder to hire healthcare workers. The Bayanihan Law allocated a lot of funds for several positions. However, there are no more takers,” said Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire in a briefing.
“We are seeing a plateauing in the hiring. There are no new ones (applying),” she added.
Vergeire said there were a lot of applicants when the emergency hiring program began months back. “However, we may have already exhausted (the supplies) as there have been fewer applicants now.”
As of July 26, DOH records show that 6,002 applicants have been hired for the program and deployed in 336 health facilities.
The lack of applicants comes at a crucial time when several medical facilities are reaching their full capacity for COVID-19 patients, with several healthcare workers already complaining of being overworked.
Vergeire said the department is finding ways to get more healthcare workers.
“We are trying to partner now with universities and institutions so that we can hire in batches their newly graduates,” she said.
Vergeire said the DOH will also continue to appeal to healthcare workers to apply in their emergency hiring program.
“During these times, yes we are scared. But we just have to trust that you’ll be taken good care of, and stand by on your commitment as a healthcare worker to serve the country,” she said.
