MANILA, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo
Duterte has approved ending a ban on deploying the nation's
healthcare workers, his labour minister said on Saturday,
clearing the way for thousands of nurses to take up jobs
overseas.
"The president already approved the lifting of the temporary
suspension of deployment of nurses and other medical workers,"
Labour Secretary Silvestre Bello told Reuters.
But to ensure the Philippines, which has the second-highest
number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in Southeast Asia, will have
enough medical professionals to fight the pandemic, only 5,000
healthcare workers will be allowed to leave every year, Bello
said.