Clearly, the measures described in this section to address the lack of HRH in the context of the COVID‐19 emergency are intended to be in place temporarily. Emergency healthcare staff are being recruited to work only during the period of the pandemic under contracts lasting only for 3 months.82 Mercado, N.A. (2020, April 27). DBM Approves Hiring of Additional 15,700 Healthcare Professionals. Inquirer.net. Retrieved May 22, 2020, from https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1265554/dbm‐approves‐doh‐request‐for‐hiring‐of‐additional‐15700‐healthcare‐professionals‐duterte‐report#ixzz6NBzR1XL8
The ban on deployment of HRH to foreign countries will be lifted as soon as the pandemic subsides. Recruitment calls for foreign healthcare jobs have not slowed down, and processing of applications is ongoing. The conscription of pre‐licensed fresh medical school graduates to work in emergency healthcare facilities will stop when the crisis ends. Hence, the measures cannot be expected to have an impact on the country’s capability to deal with the insufficiency or maldistribution of HRH that will plague the country beyond the period of the current pandemic. These measures fail to take into consideration the continuing nature of the issues that need to be addressed. They only help to cope with the exacerbation brought about by SARS‐CoV‐2. While it is important to deal with the exacerbation, it is even more important in the long run to maintain a level of readiness that can only be attained by ensuring a sound HRH profile within the country. As it is, we have a situation where because of poverty, a majority of Filipinos are forced to seek the services of government healthcare facilities that are served by only 4.5% of the country’s doctors, only about 1% of its nurses and about 23% of its midwives.83 Anonymous. (2017, February 21). Shortage of Health Professionals in the Philippines, a Growing Concern. HealthCareAsia Daily. Retrieved May 22, 2020, from http://www.healthcareasia.org/2017/shortage‐of‐health‐professionals‐in‐the‐philippines‐a‐growing‐concern/