President Rodrigo Duterte has said government would look for funds to hire more medical frontliners, as the Philippines battled one of Asia's worst coronavirus outbreaks straining the health care system.

"Mag-recruit tayo ng ano. Marami ‘yan because the pay is good actually kaya baka we can convince more people to join us in our fight because I think the lure of a good salary is there, medyo mataas na ngayon," he said in a taped meeting with officials that aired on Thursday.

(We will recruit. There are many because the pay is good actually so maybe we can convince more people to join us in our fight because I think the lure of a good salary is there, it's a bit high now.)

"We will see what we can do. We will try to look for the money to have more recruits joining this fight against COVID," added the President.

The Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines (PHAPi) estimates that 40 percent of private hospital nurses resigned last year, but more followed amid new waves of infections this year. Public hospitals are facing similar challenges.

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Some health workers who quit complained of low pay and poor working conditions. Some have sought better jobs abroad.

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"Kailangan po nating ma-solve ito dahil talagang lahat ng ospital ang kanila pong idinadaing, kulang sila ng doktor, nurses, and other related health care workers," said Carlito Galvez, a former military general leading the National Task Force Against COVID-19.

(We need to solve this because all hospitals are complaining they are short of doctors, nurses, and other related health care workers.)

— With a report from Reuters