Health Secretary Ted Herbosa said he will establish a national advisory council to address the concerns of Filipino nurses, particularly their departure for better-paying jobs abroad.
At a press conference Monday, Herbosa said he would issue an administrative order to create a National Nursing Advisory Council with a de facto chief nursing officer who will function at the level of an undersecretary.
Herbosa added that he would also ask Congress to pass a law to make the appointment of the chief nursing officer legal.
Herbosa recently drew fire for his plan to hire unlicensed nurses to fill 4,500 vacancies in over 70 government hospitals nationwide and to address a severe shortage in three to five years.
But the Philippine Regulation Commission (PRC) has pointed out that there is no provision in the Philippine Nursing Act of 2002 that would legally allow the issuance of temporary licenses to nursing graduates who have yet to pass the Nursing Licensure Examination.
His plan has also been criticized by senators, who view the hiring of unlicensed nurses as dangerous.
Herbosa said the proposed national advisory council would be made up of nurses from the private and public sectors, including the heads of the Philippine Nurses Association (PNA), the Philippine Board of Nursing, and the Association of Nursing Service Administrators of the Philippines.
“[This is] so we could always make them address all these issues not only the exam, but also life-work balance, and other reasons to motivate them to stay and fight the brain drain of Filipino nurses to other countries,” he said.
PNA president Melvin Miranda welcomed this plan, saying it will help address the nurses’ issues on wages, working conditions, migration, and job security.
In the same press conference, Carl Balita said his 180 review centers nationwide are now offering free reviews for nursing board eligibles.
“We’re starting now. We already have a QR code that they can register on. No requirements needed. All you have to do is to prove you are employed by any healthcare institution, private or government, and you’re boarded,” he said.
In a separate news conference, Senator Jinggoy Estrada opposed Herbosa’s proposal to hire nursing board exam flunkers to work in government hospitals.
“I do not agree with hiring flunkers. This involves the life of a person, and then, you will ask a flunker to take care (of a patient),” Estrada said.
Although they studied nursing, Estrada pointed out that the mere fact that they failed means they still lack knowledge and skills.
To address the brain drain, the government needs to convince board passers to stay in the country, Estrada said.
In fact, he noted that 18,000 nurses just passed the board exams. He said they did not leave the country.
“Why don’t we convince them and hire them?” said Estrada, who chairs the Senate labor committee.
He vowed to immediately file a bill to give scholarships to those who want to become nurses or doctors.
He also proposed a measure that will mandate that once they pass the board exams, they will be bound to practice their profession in the country for five years.
“After five years, if they want to seek greener pastures abroad, that will be okay,” he said.
Senator Christopher Go said Herbosa’s plan to hire unlicensed workers must be studied carefully.
“I urge the DOH to thoroughly study the proposal because we have existing laws and regulations to follow that are meant to uphold professional standards and protect the lives, safety, and well-being of our people,” he said.
He reiterated his commitment to maintaining the standards set by the law.
Meanwhile, Rep. Ray Reyes of Anakalusugan urged the Department of Health to focus on hiring unemployed and inactive registered nurses first before hiring unlicensed nurses to fill vacancies in government hospitals.
“We have a lot of nurses, board passers, who are looking for work,” he said in Filipino. “Shouldn’t we take care of the licensed nurses before giving the opportunity to those who failed to pass the board exams?”
Reyes, vice chair of the House Committee on Health, urged the DOH to conduct a study on why many nursing board passers choose to be inactive and work in other fields.
“It is so sad that according to the PRC, only 53.55 percent of nursing board passers are active and practicing the nursing profession,” he added. “We need to find out why almost half of our licensed nurses don’t want to become nurses.”
The lawmaker said this is one of the reasons why he filed House Bill (HB) 6631 which seeks to institutionalize a scholarship and return service program for nursing students.
Under the bill, a student will be required to serve one and a half years for every academic year of scholarship availed of, in his or her province or municipality hospital or provider as determined by the local government unit and confirmed by the DOH.
Quezon City Rep. Marvin Rillo warned America’s “exceptionally strong demand” for Filipino nurses is bound to aggravate the lack of nursing staff in Philippine government hospitals in the months ahead.
“To address their own shortages, American hospitals and staffing agencies are now aggressively recruiting Filipino nurses,” Rillo, House higher and technical education committee vice chairperson, said.
He added even Filipino nurses already working in the Middle East are being lured to relocate to Texas and California, among other US. states.
“In America, Filipino nurses are favored because of their close affinity to the Western culture, competence, compassion, and their readiness to work long hours and take on extra shifts even during weekends and holidays,” Rillo said.
“Congress must quickly raise the basic salaries of our nurses here at home. This is the only way we can hold on to our nurses in public hospitals,” Rillo said.
Rillo has been batting for the passage of his measure – House Bill 5276 – that proposes to bump up to P63,997 the entry-level monthly pay of nurses employed by the government.
In the Senate, Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara has filed Senate Bill 638, which seeks to raise to P51,357 the starting monthly salary of public nurses.
The monthly wage of public nurses is currently pegged at only P36,619 under the Philippine Nursing Act of 2002 and the Salary Standardization Law of 2019.
Under fire for his proposal, Herbosa said the DOH will hire nursing assistants to help address the nurse shortage in government hospitals, but said his plan to hire board flunkers would not be shelved.
The Filipino Nurses United (FNU) said nursing assistants would be a big help to existing government health workers.
“It is truly hard for nurses if they don’t have nursing aides or nursing assistants,” said FNU secretary general Jocelyn Andamo.
Senator Risa Hontiveros, who said she has a daughter taking a nursing course, previously said Herbosa’s plan is worth examining, especially since government hospitals still lack about 4,000 nurses.
“In other countries, nursing students are given the opportunity to serve even without passing the nursing board exam, as they are given a role under their Universal Health Care system,” Hontiveros said.