A CONGRESSMAN on Sunday said he believes having a scholarship and return service program for nursing students will provide a “win-win solution” to help address the shortage of nurses in the country and boost the number of active registered nurses in the country.

“This is a win-win solution. Our proposed scholarship scheme will definitely help those who wish to take up nursing in college and pursue it as a profession. The return service program, meanwhile, will develop our healthcare human resource to meet the needs of our citizens and ensure the adequacy of registered nurses in the country,” Anakalusugan Party-list Rep. Ray Reyes said.

“The low number of active registered nurses in the country is also a cause for alarm. This is another issue that we need to address aside from the exodus of our nurses abroad,” he added.

Data from the Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC) show that as of March 24, 2023, only 53.55 percent of the 951,105 registered nurses in the country are active.

“The government must ensure that there is an adequate amount of health care workers at any given moment, in any municipality or community in the country. Additionally, the health and welfare of these health care workers must also be a priority,” Reyes added.

In October last year, the Department of Health estimated a shortage of 106,000 nurses in the country.

In response, Reyes filed House Bill (HB) No. 6631 or the “Nursing Scholarship and Return Service Program Act,” which seeks to provide scholarships to deserving students in state universities and colleges or private higher education institutions in regions taking up bachelor’s degree in nursing.

The student will then serve one-and-a-half years for every academic year of scholarship availed, in his province or municipality hospital or provider as determined by the Local Government Unit (LGU) and confirmed by the Department of Health (DoH)

Once the students finish the degree, they are also required to take the board examination within a maximum period of one year, of which the cost will be covered.

“I hope that through this bill we can strike two birds with one stone by giving our aspiring nurses a chance at education and growth paired with regularized and secured positions during their service,” Reyes said.

Under the bill, the DoH will be tasked to determine the number of nurses for every municipality or province then provide the proper integration of the scholar into the public health and medical service system which includes providing the necessary number of plantilla positions to accommodate the new nurses.

In the same manner, the health department shall craft a career pathway to enhance the scholar’s competencies and skills.

“We want to make sure that each municipality or province have scholars that will provide service to their own towns, making sure that we have enough nurses evenly placed in all parts of the country,” Reyes said.

The scholarship grant is not limited to freshman students, but also to existing nursing students who wish to avail of the program.

The program will provide free tuition and school fees, allowance for books and needed supplies and equipment, financial assistance during internships, as well as medical insurance to interested applicants.