Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said there is an urgent need to increase the salaries of Filipino nurses to address the shortage of nurses in the Philippines.
In a statement, Zubiri said nurses are paid by small local private hospitals as low as P15,000 to P20,000 per month.
“Who can blame them for leaving? Overseas, they earn somewhere around P150,000 to P200,000 a month. Our salaries and benefits offer no competition,” Zubiri, quoted by GMA News said.
“They are likely overworked, looking after more than their fair share of patients as more and more of their colleagues leave for better pastures abroad,” he added. “If we want nurses to stay in the country, we need to increase their salaries. That’s really the long and short of the diaspora problem that we’re having.”
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. earlier ordered the Commission on Higher Education to address the shortage of the number of nurses in the country due to migration.
At a recent Senate hearing, Commissioner Erwin Enad of the Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC) said the Philippines has a supply of doctors, nurses, and other health workers but only a fraction of them are practicing their professions.
In his presentation, Enad showed that as of March 24, there are 951,105 registered nurses but only 53.55% or 509,297 are active.
Sen. Raffy Tulfo meanwhile aired his concern over the conditions of patients at the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH).
During a surprise ocular inspection at the NCMH, he said patients are not receiving the specialized care and treatment they deserve because of the hospital’s poor facilities. Macon Ramos-Araneta
Due to this, he filed Senate Resolution (SR) No. 562 directing the Senate Committee on Health to conduct an inquiry on the condition of the NCMH facilities to ensure that patients receive proper care and to address the reported corruption in its management.
“They are sleeping on the floor. They have no mat, blanket and pillow. They are like sardines inside the hot wards,” related Tulfo.
He recalled that he first visited Pavilion 8 or the Female Ward smelled of patients’ feces and urine. It was even more awful by the smell of garbage dumped outside.
Tulfo said he recommended to the NCMH chief to use humidifiers, automatic round-the-clock disinfectant spray, and clean the room at least two times a day.
In filing the resolution, Tulfo is aiming to identify the root causes of the problems and lapses in the facilities and operations of NCMH, as well as assess the quality of care, treatment, and support provided to patients in the hospital.