PHAPi: Midwives, nursing attendants filling in for resigned health workers

By CNN Philippines Staff, 1 Nov 2021

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 1) — With more healthcare workers leaving their jobs, some private hospitals have resorted to training midwives, nursing attendants, and other health personnel to augment manpower, the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines said Monday.

“That is our big problem. Right now, what we are doing, the hospitals now are looking for replacements for our registered nurses,” PHAPi president Jose de Grano told CNN Philippines’ The Source on Monday.

“We are training under board nurses, we are training midwives, we are training nursing attendants so we will be able to augment the healthcare workers in our private hospitals,” he added.

De Grano said around 5% to 10% of health workers from their group have already filed their resignation to look for better opportunities.

“Most of them are still employed. Sasabihin nila, ‘we are going to resign,’ so they will have to fulfill 30 days’ notice. But if the time comes na dumating na ang tickets nila then they will have to go and we have no way of stopping them,” he added.

[Translation: Most of them are still employed right now. They will say, “We are going to resign,” so they will have to full their 30 days’ notice. But when their plane tickets eventually come, they will have to go and we have no way of stopping them.]

De Grano said that while some hospitals are offering sign-on bonuses and other incentives to prospective employees, others are trying their best to convince their current staff to stay for the meantime. He acknowledged that local hospitals simply can’t match the offer of some foreign institutions.

Meanwhile, De Grano noted that some hospitals in Iloilo, General Santos City, Cagayan Valley, and the National Capital Region have signified their intention to break ties with the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. over its failure to settle their unpaid claims.

He said PhilHealth still owes private hospitals around ₱20 billion as of August.

“Kahit na let’s say that they are saying that they paid already ₱10 billion, nasaan na ang mga payments na ito? [where are these payments?],” De Grano said.

Some hospitals said they will announce their plans for 2022 by mid-November, having given PhilHealth an ultimatum to resolve the issue by end of October, he added.