Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel on Sunday said the national government will spend P9 billion to deploy over 13,000 health professionals to underserved communities in 2019.
The Department of Health is now enlisting 9,138 nurses, 3,650 midwives, 243 physicians and 241 dentists to provide additional medical services in the rural areas, he said.
“The deployment is expected to proceed even in an extreme scenario wherein the government operates on a reenacted spending program until February next year,” said Pimentel, a member of the House committee on appropriations.
Out of the P9-billion budget, Pimentel said P7.8 billion is lodged in the miscellaneous personnel benefits fund, while the balance of the P1.2 billion is with the DOH.
“We would urge qualified health professionals looking for gainful employment to sign up so they can help underserved communities while getting paid well,” he said.
He said those who could work under the health program could be able to acquire good training skills and eventually get better job opportunities.