SENATOR Richard Gordon on Tuesday urged the Professional Regulatory Commission to allow the licensure examinations for doctors and nurses during the period of community quarantine.

This, he said, would increase the number of health professionals and help boost the healthcare system that had lately been challenged because of the sheer number of Covid19 patients.

The senator said that health precautions must be observed to protect examinees and examiners.

In his letter to PRC Chairman Teofilo Pilando Jr., Gordon lamented that the country’s healthcare system is under siege due to the lack of hospital facilities and medical workers.

“Allowing persons educated and qualified in nursing or medicine to perform the lifesaving vocations that they have chosen as their life’s work would significantly contribute to the improvement of our healthcare system during this time of critical need for our country,” the senator wrote.

Gordon also proposed that the examinees be allowed to work in healthcare facilities to care for Covid19 patients on a limited basis and under the supervision of licensed healthcare professionals, pending the release of the results of the examination.

“Certainly, there are many tasks that they can perform in field hospitals, isolation centers, and other healthcare facilities that would contribute to the effective and efficient care of patients,” he said.