Leaving the health workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study among Filipino healthcare workers

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the shortage of healthcare workers (HCWs), particularly in low- and middle-income countries. This cross-sectional descriptive study aimed to examine why hospital-based HCWs in the Philippines quit from their workplace at a time when HCWs were urgently needed to provide health services. Using an online, self-administered questionnaire distributed through personal and professional networks, we surveyed hospital-based Filipino HCWs who resigned between March 11, 2020, and September 15, 2021. We obtained demographics, workplace information, reasons for quitting, and proposed interventions. Among 70 valid responses, most of the HCWs were single (74%), female (59%), and without children (81%). More than half were nurses (31%) and physicians (29%). Most participants had one to five years of work experience (71%), worked in level 3 hospitals (70%), and had a schedule that required them to report for duty shifts for more than 8 hours (76%). While the majority of the HCWs were worried about the COVID-19 pandemic due to the risk of infection, the most frequent reasons for quitting were work overload/burnout, stress, and insufficient salary. To encourage workforce retention, the HCWs proposed increasing monetary compensation and non-salary incentives, cultivating a positive workplace culture, ensuring a reasonable workload, providing clear opportunities for career advancement, and improving workplace safety. These findings can guide ministries of health, policymakers, hospital administrators, health worker unions, and other stakeholders when planning for and responding to national or global health crises.