Private hospitals have been hiring nursing graduates who are yet to pass the licensure examination as nursing assistants for years, the Philippine Federation of Professionals Association (PFPA) said.
PFPA Vice President Dr. Benito Atienza made the clarification after Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said the Department of Health is planning to hire nursing assistants for state-owned hospitals.
“Actually, they [private hospitals] help them pass the exam and they provide support so they can have the board exam,” Atienza said.
Nursing assistants will receive a salary Grade 9 pay or about P20,000 per month if the DoH proposal gets the thumbs up of lawmakers.
The position will be open to graduates of a four-year nursing course who have yet to pass the licensure exam.
Herbosa has been pushing for the issuance of temporary licenses for nursing graduates who failed the board exam but with an average of 70 to 74 percent.
The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), however, said there is no provision in the Philippine Nursing Act that allows any government agency to issue such temporary licenses.
About 4,500 nurses are needed in 70 public hospitals nationwide according to the DOH.
Atienza said Herbosa’s plan to form a National Nursing Advisory Council would provide a big help to address the shortage of nurses in the country.
He said that Philippine Nurses Association President Melvin Miranda, who is also a member of PFPA, already discussed with Herbosa the issues and the requirements for the administrative order for the creation of the Council.
For its part, the Filipino Nurses United on Wednesday said the country has more than enough licensed nurses who can fill the shortage in the country.
However, many choose not to practice here in the country for several reasons, including low pay.
“We have a surplus of nurses who are just waiting to be tapped, but they are discouraged by the very low pay and the heavy workload that they will encounter in the hospital setting,” FNU President Eleanor Nolasco told CNN Philippines.
“We in the Filipino Nurses United believe that only when the government provides a living wage, and our call is for P50,000 entry salary for both nurses in the public and private sector, and when adequate benefits are given to them will they be encouraged to stay,” Nolasco added.
According to the Professional Regulation Commission, there were 47,000 nursing board exam passers from 2021 to 2023.
The government should tap these professionals to fill the vacancies in public hospitals, PRC Commissioner Jose Cueto Jr. said.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the House Committee on Labor and Employment backed the planned creation of a National Nursing Advisory Council to address issues confronting the sector.
“We support the creation of such a council, so long as we ensure that all stakeholders are fairly and adequately represented,” Rizal Rep. Fidel Nograles said.
“We should have a dialogue first, then craft a workable strategy to address the shortage, with the view toward implementing a long-term solution instead of temporary measures,” he added.