The Department of Health Western Visayas Center for Health Development (DOH WV-CHD) has extended the contracts of its existing Human Resource for Health (HRH) workers hired under Emergency Hiring for COVID-19 Response for another month.
The extension, from September 1 to October 31, aims to augment the existing workforce of both government and private health facilities in the region as the threat of COVID-19 transmission continues to persist, Dr. Adriano Suba-an, DOH 6 regional director, said in a press released Monday, September 6.
Of the more than 1,600 augmented health workers composed of different cadres all over the region, the extension would cover 335 HRH. This is composed of 207 nurses and medical officers assigned in Temporary Treatment and Monitoring Facilities (TTMF), 122 health workers in different private and public hospitals, and six medical technologies in molecular laboratories/ laboratory departments and COVID-19 testing centers region-wide, Suba-an said.
On top of the extension for these HRH, the services of the more than 1,266 health workers under the National Health Workforce Support System (NHWSS) will also continue until December of this year, he said.
The NHWSS is composed of nurses, midwives, physical therapist, medical technologists, dentists, pharmacists, nutritionists/dieticians, public health associates, and medical doctors undergoing post-residency deployment program (PRDP) all over the region, Suba-an said.
The DOH WV CHD appreciates and lauds the commitment, dedication and resiliency of all health care workers despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, risking their own lives to save others, he added.
The DOH continues to push for measures for their protection such as prioritizing them for the COVID-19 vaccination and working hard for the fulfillment of their due benefits, Suba-an said.*