The Department of Health (DOH) is planning to establish a body to focus on the concerns of Filipino nurses, especially those considering leaving the country for better pay.

In a media briefing on Monday, DOH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said he will issue a department administrative order for the creation of a National Nursing Advisory Council led by a de facto chief nursing officer whose function will be at the level of an undersecretary.

The members of the proposed council will be nurses from the private and public sectors, including heads of the Philippine Nurses Association, the Philippine Board of Nursing, and the Association of Nursing Service Administrators of the Philippines.

“So, we could always make them address all these issues not only the exam, but also life-work balance, and other reasons to motivate them to stay and fight the brain drain of Filipino nurses to other countries,” he said.

Herbosa added that he would also ask Congress to pass a law institutionalizing the appointment of the chief nursing officer.

Currently, the DOH needs about 4,500 nurses in its 70 hospitals nationwide.

To solve this, Herbosa has been advocating for the issuance of temporary licenses for nursing graduates who received a grade of 70 to 74 percent in the board exam.

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) has clarified that there is no provision in the Philippine Nursing Act or Republic Act 9173 that allows any government agency to issue temporary licenses to nursing graduates who failed the licensure examination.

It added the Medical Act of 1959 is the only law with a provision that can support Herbosa’s plan, but it states that temporary licenses could only be issued by the Secretary of Health for medical graduates who have not yet taken or passed the physician licensure exam in times of national emergencies like the Covid-19 pandemic or natural disasters like typhoons.

The DOH, the PRC and the Department of Labor and Employment are in discussions to find other options that would address the nurse shortage in the country despite legal limitations.

P64,000 monthly salary pushed

Quezon City Representative Marvin Rillo pushed for the immediate passage of his House Bill (HB) 5276 seeking to increase the entry-level monthly pay of government nurses to around PHP64,000.

He said the “exceptionally strong demand” for Filipino nurses in the United States would likely exacerbate the shortage of nursing staff in the Philippines in the coming months.

“To address their own shortages, American hospitals and staffing agencies are now aggressively recruiting Filipino nurses,” Rillo said.

“In America, Filipino nurses are favored because of their close affinity to the Western culture, competence, compassion, and their readiness to work long hours and take on extra shifts even during weekends and holidays,” he added.

He said bumping up the starting monthly pay for government nurses from PHP36,619 to PHP63,997, or raising their salaries six notches higher based on the Salary Standardization Law, would help retain nurses in Philippine public hospitals.

“Congress must quickly raise the basic salaries of our nurses here at home. This is the only way we can hold on to our nurses in public hospitals,” Rillo said.

Rillo said the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects America will have “about 203,200 job openings for registered nurses each year, on average, over the next decade.”

He said nurses in America receive an annual median wage of USD77,600 or the equivalent of around PHP4.3 million.

Last month, House Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan also pushed for the immediate passage of HB 5276.

Anakalusugan Party-list Representative Ray Reyes likewise urged the DOH to find out why several nursing board passers opt to work in other fields.

“Sobrang nakakalungkot na ayon sa PRC [Professional Regulatory Commission], 53.55 percent lang ng nursing board passers ang active at nagpapractice ng nursing profession (It’s extremely sad that based on PRC, only 53.55 percent of the nursing board passers are active and practicing the profession),” he said.

Reyes said this is one of the reasons why he filed HB 6631 or an “Act Establishing Nursing Scholarship and Return Service Program for Deserving Students” in December last year.

Under the bill, a student will be required to serve one and a half years for every academic year of scholarship availed in his or her province or municipality hospital or provider as determined by the local government unit and confirmed by the DOH.

“Through this measure, we hope to help deserving students while also ensuring an adequate supply of nurses in the country,” he said. (PNA)