Philippines raises limit of health professionals sent abroad

Philippines raises limit of health professionals sent abroad

The Philippines has increased the number of nurses and healthcare workers allowed to go overseas from 5,000 to 6,500 annually, a senior official said on Friday.

The Philippines, one of the world's biggest sources of nurses, reached its annual cap of 5,000 health worker deployments late last month.

Those with contracts as of May 31 can take up overseas employment, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement. That means another 1,500 nurses and health care staff can work abroad, according to the labor ministry.