But de Grano warned of the diminishing number of health care workers who were either sidelined by Covid-19 infection or were attracted by better rates of pay and working conditions in developed countries. "We are expecting the number of our health care workers would decrease dramatically by end of October and November," de Grano said. De Grano said most foreign contractors hire Filipino nurses from large hospitals with ISO certification, warning this could have a huge effect on the country's health care system. "Our hospitals would not have a choice but to downsize their operations as they could no longer accept more patients if there are less health care workers," de Grano said. Meanwhile, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the government is working hard to augment the number of health care workers in the country.

Source: Manila Times October 02, 2021 16:18 UTC