THE Philippine Nurses Association said some nurses in the country still receive P2,000 as monthly income, a meager amount that should have been upgraded if former President Benigno Aquino III signed the bill seeking the wage hike of entry-level nurses.
Aquino rejected House Bill No. 6411 and Senate Bill No. 2720, supposed to enact a comprehensive nursing law, days before he stepped down from office.
“I wanted to cry, and I am angry at the same time. It’s very sad (because) it is supposed to be for the welfare of our nurses,” said Paulita Cruz, PNA president.
Aquino said Executive Order No. 201 that increased the annual salary of nurses from P228,924 to P344,074 already dealt with this concern and that granting the bill would trigger “dire financial consequences.”
But Cruz said aside from the salary hike, the vetoed bill also sought to protect nurses against exploitation at work by lowering the nurse-to-patient ratio by 1:12.
Currently, this ratio is 1:40 in some hospitals including the Philippine General Hospital, a situation that Cruz describes as “too difficult.”
“They are overworked and exhausted. They are also contractual workers,” she said.
The bill also aimed to establish nurses in all health facilities and to advance the field of nursing in the country.
“President Aquino should have looked at the totality of the bill. It’s not just about the salary of the nurses,” Cruz said.
Many Filipino nurses leave the country for higher income abroad. According to the latest report of the International Organization for Migration, 15, 655 out of 458, 575 deployed newly-hired, land-based overseas Filipino workers are nurses.
“(The case) is still the same. Some seek advancement in knowledge, skills and, more particularly, compensation,” Cruz said.
Concerning this figure, Cruz said they prefer that the country-educated nurses work locally “because many Filipinos die without seeing a health care provider.”
She also expressed disapproval over the paid trainings required by hospitals for starting nurses.
“They have no choice but to go into that training because they need a job,” she said.
Still referring to the vetoed bill, Cruz lamented the country’s lack of sufficient provisions for nurses. “It’s a shame because we don’t have laws that will protect them.”
The PNA president, however, lauded the new administration for its plans on the health sector.
“We are happy that he mentioned the inclusion of health services in the budget,” she said, noting this would also increase the salary of health providers.
“Maybe he (President Rodrigo Duterte) understands what the nurses have been into because his partner is also a nurse,” Cruz said.
“We are expecting too much from the new administration. We believe we are in good hands,” she added.
