4,000 displaced nurses return home

MANILA, Philippines — After being displaced from their employment overseas due to the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 4,000 nurses have returned home since September 2020, former Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) secretary and now consultant Marianito Roque said yesterday.

Roque noted they have “discovered” over 4,000 nurses who came home due to the pandemic. They are part of the 8,000 overseas workers registered in the Overseas Workers Assistance and Information System (OASIS) program database.

“This is a combination of those who have already been repatriated and those who remains overseas. They lost their jobs because of the pandemic,” he said, adding that some nurses are willing to work in local hospitals “temporarily.”

“So this could be the answer to the shortage of nurses in our hospitals especially in COVID-19 wards where they are lacking in nurses,” Roque added.

DOLE observed that aside from nurses, workers from other sectors such as engineering and construction are also coming home.