The Republic of the Marshall Islands is exploring the recruitment of Filipino doctors and nurses to address a shortage of healthcare professionals, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) announced.
Officials from the Marshall Islands met with DMW representatives on Friday, Oct. 23, to discuss possible recruitment arrangements and the requirements for hiring qualified Filipino healthcare workers.
The delegation, led by Marshall Islands Minister of Health and Human Services Bremity Lakjohn, raised concerns about the country’s shortage of doctors and nurses during the meeting at the DMW Central Office.
According to the DMW, Marshall Islands officials expressed interest in recruiting Filipino healthcare professionals to help meet their country’s medical workforce needs.
The discussions focused on potential employment arrangements and the procedures required to facilitate the deployment of overseas Filipino workers.
The DMW presented three possible recruitment channels: hiring through licensed recruitment agencies with verified job orders, government-to-government arrangements, and direct hiring subject to applicable regulations.
The agency said both sides agreed to further assess the Marshall Islands’ healthcare workforce requirements and the administrative procedures necessary for potential recruitment.
Representing the Philippine government during the meeting were DMW Undersecretary Felicitas Q. Bay, Assistant Secretary Levinson Alcantara and Pre-Employment and Government Placement Bureau Director Mary Grace Quilente.
The discussions remain preliminary, with no finalized recruitment agreement or deployment schedule announced.
The DMW also did not disclose the number of Filipino healthcare workers the Marshall Islands may seek to hire, the proposed salaries or the employment benefits that could be offered.
Any recruitment arrangement would still have to comply with Philippine overseas employment regulations and applicable requirements in the Marshall Islands.
