Gov't nurses, other health workers to lose jobs next year due to 'deep slash' in DOH budget

Rep. Andaya warns of 'mass lay-off' of health workers next year due to reduction of DOH budget in 2019.

Expressing his alarm over the 'deep slash' in the budget of Department of Health (DOH) next year, Camarines Sur Congressman Rolando Andaya Jr. said that around 7,000 nurses, midwives, dentists, doctors and other health workers employed by the government may lose their jobs in 2019.

The annual recruitment of nurses and other health workers is under DOH Human Resource for Health Deployment Program (HRHDP), wherein these workers are sent to rural areas, poor communities, and urban centers with high poverty incidence.

“This is one area up for discussion because of its impact on the delivery of health services to the people who need them most. Will the cuts put in ICU the health system in remote areas?” Andaya said.

The House Majority Floor Leader revealed that in the proposed 2019 National Budget presented by Department of Budget and Management (DBM), DOH will get only P74.1 billion - a P35.7 billion cut from this year's P109.8 billion.

Out of this budget, only P1.2 billion will go to HRHDP, from P9.6 billion this year.

“Let us find ways to save their jobs,” said Andaya.

This year, DOH has deployed 15,893 nurses under the Nurse Deployment Project (NDP). With the budget cut, Andaya said that 6,755 will lose their jobs.

Aside from nurses, the number of doctors deployed will also be reduced, from 293 to 243; dentists, from 324 to 241; and midwives, from 4,000 to 3,650.

Andaya said that he will talk to DBM and DOH on how to restore or at least lessen the budget cut.

This year, DOH HRHDP includes the following:

• Physician Augmentation Deployment Project (PADP)
• Universal Healthcare Implementers Deployment Project (UHCIDP)
• Nurse Deployment Project (NDP)
• Rural Health Midwives Placement Program (RHMPP)
• Dentist Deployment Project (DDP)
• Medical Technologist Deployment Project (MTDP)
• Pharmacist Deployment Project (PDP)
• Public Health Associates Deployment Project (PHADP)
• Family Health Associate Deployment Project (FHADP)

No information yet if all of these programs will be continued next year.

Recruitment for HRHDP is usually done during the last quarter of the year, and the DOH Regional Offices handles the selection, orientation and deployment of these health professionals to their area of coverage.