AFP losing nurses, medical personnel

The lure of good pay and a better life by working abroad has triggered an exodus of nurses and other medical personnel from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) that is threatening the very existence of its Nurse Corps.

AFP chief of staff Gen. Narciso Abaya said the alarming trend of nurses resigning from the military to work abroad puts in doubt the viability of the military nurses pool.

"This is indeed an alarming trend for the Nurse Corps and for the AFP. Considering the authorized personnel strength of 436 for our military nurses, the Corps is 25 percent short of its allowable troop ceiling," he said.

Military nurses gathered yesterday at Camp Aguinaldo for the joint anniversary of the Nurse Corps, which celebrated its 66th year, and the Military Nurses Association of the Philippines, which celebrated its 39th year.

In his message, Abaya said that in 2003 and 2004 alone 60 officer nurses either retired or opted to be reverted to join the exodus of Filipino nurses abroad.

In the same period, only 24 nurses entered the Nurse Corps.

Abaya described the "massive migration of Filipino medical personnel" as a "brain drain."

"Because of the increasing demand for Filipino nurses abroad, our hospitals and other medical facilities in the country are critically understaffed, risking an erosion of Philippine medical standards," he said.

Abaya said the phenomenon had reduced the presence of nurses in military or government hospitals in far-flung areas.

Nurses who work abroad are paid much higher than the base pay of P16,000 given to military nurses that hold the rank of 2nd lieutenant.

In the United Kingdom, statistics from the UK Council of Nursing (UKCN) show that Filipinos make up the largest contingent of foreign nurses, comprising 47 percent of the total.

Similar statistics hold true in the Netherlands, United States and other Western countries, where Filipino nurses are preferred by foreign employers to those from other nationalities.

Japan, long a favorite destination of Filipino entertainers, is also opening its doors to Filipino nurses.

Only recently, a Filipino nurse, Rosemarie Castañeda-Acuña was adjudged by the US-based Nursing Spectrum as Nurse of the Year. A sister of a senior police officer, Acuña opted to work abroad instead of following in the footsteps of her brother, Senior Superintendent Raul Castañeda.

"Perhaps, it is high time that we explore other alternatives in resolving this issue, like intensifying the recruitment of military nurses from the ranks of military personnel," Abaya said.

Abaya said the military will attempt to cultivate a "Filipino first" attitude among nursing applicants.

He said that the military is also dropping its requirement for applicants to be single. "Recruits should include married but qualified applicants."