Shortage of nurses
IF there is a shortage of nurses in the Philippines, blame it mainly on the “insultingly low pay” of these health professionals, mostly women, in this Southeast Asian nation.
Everybody wants to go abroad, knowing full well that Filipino nurses are in great demand in the United States, the Middle East, Europe and even in other Asian countries.
And what is bothersome and lamentable is the fact that many of our “Nightingales” are willing to work not as nurses but as caregivers and office workers abroad.
Even President Marcos is worried because “buong mundo na ang kalaban natin dito,” referring to our nurses who are migrating to other countries where the pay is higher.
“Lahat ng nakakausap kong President (at) Prime Minister, ang hinihingi (ay) more nurses from the Philippines,” said Marcos during a meeting with the Private Sector Advisory Council.
During the meeting, held in Malacanang on March 29, President Marcos asked the Commission on Higher Education for concrete steps to keep our nurses working in the country.
CHED Chairman Prospero de Vera said the commission is already carrying out interventions to address the shortage of nurses, including the retooling of non-board passers.
He said CHED is also working on a flexible short-term masteral program to address the lack of nursing instructors in impoverished Philippines, one of the world’s major manpower exporters.
For her part, Department of Health OIC Undersecretary Ma. Rosario Vergeire said the DOH is studying the standardizaion of salaries of nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals.
In the view of many quarters, these are all moves in the right direction.
