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[av_heading heading=’ Private health care ‘volunteers’ banned’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=’30’ subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
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Sunday, October 1, 2017
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ILOILO City – Profit-oriented health care facilities are now prohibited from hiring volunteers, according to a new order from the Department of Labor and Employment.
Department Order 182-17 is aimed at discouraging “false volunteerism” among health care workers, Regional Director Johnson Cañete said.
Some people with health care-related academic degrees cannot land stable jobs in the industry due to lack of experience so they “volunteer,” said Cañete.
But “minsan sila pa ang nagbabayad para lang maka-volunteer,” he noted.
Some sectors, including the nongovernment organization Ang Nars, believe this practice exposes health care workers, especially nurses, to exploitation.
The order – Guidelines Governing the Employment and Working Conditions of Health Personnel in the Private Healthcare Industry – was signed by Labor secretary Silvestre Bello III on Sept. 22 and is up for publication.
All health-related volunteer programs shall be undertaken only by Department of Health-accredited nonprofit or government hospitals in accordance with Republic Act 9418, or the Volunteer Act of 2007, and its implementing rules and regulations, the order stated.
Cañete clarified that the order allows apprenticeships or on-the-job trainings (OJT).
“Ang OJT pwede iyon as long as there are clear policies and guidelines adopted by the companies,” he said.
Apprenticeships, on the other hand, must have prior approval from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, he added.
Department Order 182-17 also stemmed from reports about nurses and medical technologists, among others in private health care facilities, receiving very meager compensation, said Cañete.
“Kailangan hindi below minimum ang tatanggapin nila. Nakalagay din doon [sa order] ang mga minimum benefits na tatanggapin nila,” he said.
The order said health workers are entitled to wages, holiday pay, premium pay, night shift differential, service incentive leave, 13th month pay, maternity leave, paternity leave, parental leave;
Leaves under Republic Act 9262 (Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act) and Republic Act 9710 (The Magna Carta of Women), separation pay and retirement pay (if applicable), and all other benefits under existing labor laws and regulations.
A compressed workweek shall not apply in health services or occupations or workplaces in which employees are exposed to airborne contaminants, human carcinogens, and substances or chemicals beyond occupational safety and health threshold limits, the order said./PN
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