To address the problem on continuing migration of Filipino nurses, Senator Raffy Tulfo proposed the grant of full government scholarships to deserving students wishing to become nurses.
During a joint hearing of the Senate Committees on Health and Demography, Ways and Means; and Finance on To address the mass migration of Filipino nurses, Senator Raffy Tulfo proposed the grant of full scholarships by the government to deserving students wishing to become nurses.
During the Senate Committee on Health and Demography joint with Ways and Means; and Finance on Tuesday, Tulfo suggested that chosen scholars be required to serve in government hospitals for at least four to five years after graduation.
He said this would ensure enough nurses in every hospital in the country.
Tulfo noted that the ideal nurse to patient ratio is at 1:4, but the current ratio in the Philippines was estimated at 1:20, which compromises nursing care due to overworked nurses.
The proposal was deemed beneficial both for aspiring nurses, especially those from poor families needing educational assistance, and government hospitals facing shortage of healthcare workers.
Tulfo also asked the Department of Health (DOH) to address the discrimination Filipino nurses face in the workplace, including selective grant of benefits such as hazard pay.
Tulfo said he learned that only the nurses who were exposed to COVID-19 patients or were assigned to the COVID-19 wards were the ones eligible for hazard pay.
“We should be sensitive sa mga needs ng ating mga nurses. We need to take care of them and treat them well. We should be fair. Importante din na gamitin ang common sense in addressing their needs,” he said.
He stressed that all nurses are at risk of getting the infection the moment that they travel to work to the time that they reach the hospitals to care for their patients for hours on end.
Due to exhaustion, discrimination, and lower salaries, most Filipino nurses are moving to other counties for the promise of a better life, he noted.
Tulfo said he would look into the issue deeper to determine what bills to file that could improve the plight of Filipino nurses and services of government hospitals.
Meanwhile, the senator asked DOH to submit records showing the list of individuals that were held accountable and were facing charges in court for poor distribution of medicines that were left expired and undistributed in the previous years.
From 2013 to 2021, it can be noted that the amount of wasted medicines because of being expired or nearly expired amounted to around P2 Billion, of which the recipients were supposed to be the impoverished citizens, including, among others, cancer patients and senior citizens.
“I really need to see that record wherein one was charged due to negligence in his job, resulted to wastage of billions of worth or medicines.
Tulfo added that he is still waiting for DOH records showing that the expired medicines were indeed replaced or refunded, stressing that the department promised to provide him with said records.