Portrait of Filipino healthcare workers’ discrimination experiences during the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic()

BACKGROUND: At the core of a global health crisis, healthcare workers are tasked to perform crucial and life-threatening roles. Despite the heavy-laden responsibilities amid COVID-19 pandemic, these workers are subjected to various forms of stigma and discrimination. OBJECTIVES: The primary intent of this paper is to investigate the existence of discrimination among healthcare workers during COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines. Further, it aims to test the following hypotheses: (1) Discrimination experiences among Filipino healthcare workers are dependent on certain demographic characteristics; and (2) Discrimination experiences vary significantly according to the type of healthcare workers. METHODS: This exploratory study used a two-part survey questionnaire consisting of the baseline data of the respondents and an 8-point Likert-type scale to identify the different forms of discrimination experienced by Filipino healthcare workers. Data yielded by the instruments were descriptively (frequency, mean and percentage) and inferentially (Pearson R, Kendall tau, t-test, and One-Way Analysis of Variance) treated. RESULTS: Among the Filipino healthcare workers, the Radiologic Technologists experienced the most forms of discriminatory acts, followed by Nurses and Medical Technologists. Those who work in high-risk duty assignments experienced the most discriminatory incidents such as insulting gestures and physical/social loathing, social media bashing and offensive jokes. CONCLUSION: The discrimination experienced by Filipino healthcare workers is a valuable platform for health policy interventions at the local and global levels to safeguard the physical, social and psychological well-being of healthcare workers, especially in battling the COVID-19 pandemic.