Makati City Mayor Abigail Binay on Wednesday said her administration is supporting the increase of salary of nurses in government service, noting that the city has hired 56 new nurses since the pandemic broke out in March.
Members of the city council recently approved the P55.17-million additional budget covering the adjustment of entry-level or Nurse 1 position from Salary Grade 11 to Salary Grade 15, which increased the basic monthly pay to P32,053 from P22,316 effective July 1, 2020.
Binay said the increase amounting to P9,737 per month was a well-deserved reward for the nurses who have been working practically non-stop as frontliners in the country’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The salary increase is a welcome development for our nurses, and is a fitting recognition of their hard work and sacrifice that have been magnified by this crisis. The substantial salary differential they will receive will also bring immense financial relief, especially to struggling breadwinners of the family who can hardly make both ends meet,” she said.
The city chief execuive expressed hope that the salary increase will entice more nurses to serve with government units and agencies where they are needed the most.
“We hope that with a more competitive salary, board-certified nurses who have opted to pursue a non-related career or go abroad will be inspired to stay and serve their fellow Filipinos,” she said.
Since March, the city government has hired 56 additional nurses — 38 for the Makati Health Department (MHD) and 18 for Ospital ng Makati (OsMak) since March, bringing the total number of city-employed nurses to 493.
To date, Osmak has 353 nurses; MHD, 114; Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, 5; Education Department, 14; University of Makati, six; and General Services Department, one.
Mayor Binay also reported that the city has employed 13 Medical Officers III, two Medical Specialists I, three occupational/physical therapists, three respiratory therapists, two social workers, two medical technologists, two dietitians, one pharmacist, and two social workers for Ospital ng Makati to further boost the city’s fight against COVID-19.
Besides the basic monthly salary, the city’s nurses and health workers also receive personnel economic relief allowance, hazard pay under the Magna Carta of public health workers, hazard pay/subsistence allowance (during enhanced community quarantine), and laundry allowance.
They have also been prioritized for free mass testing and vaccination against flu and pneumonia, and in the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE), free vitamins and other benefits.
Moreover, the city has also provided free transportation and free lodging to frontliners since March.
Under the new Salary Standardization Law or R.A. 11466, the base salary schedule of nurses in government service in the next three years will be as follows: January 1, 2021, P33,575; January 1, 2022, P35,097; and January 1, 2023, P36,619.
The Department of Labor and Employment stated that an entry-level nurse in the private sector receives an average salary of P8,000 to P13,000 monthly.