Marcos Jr. promises to improve working conditions of Filipino nurses
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday promised the country’s nurses that the government will work on improving working conditions, which includes providing better pay, through the passage of an updated nursing practice act.
The chief executive also seeks to address the unequal distribution of nurses in the provinces.
“I have taken special note of the clamor to address issues in the nursing profession by the passage of the new Philippine Nursing Practice Act,” Marcos Jr. said, promising that he will work with Congress to develop reforms that would better protect those in the healthcare profession through refined facilities and by provicing security of tenure.
Marcos Jr. thanked nursing professionals on Thursday as the Philippine Nurses Association, Inc. celebrated its 100th anniversary.
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“As part of our goal to raise the profile and improve the working condition of nurses, we seek to address the disparity in salaries between nurses in government hospitals with those in the private sector,” he added.
Nurses working in private hospitals reportedly get paid less at around P12,000 monthly versus the Salary Grade 15 or the over P35,000 wage of those working in public hospitals.
Those who work in the provinces reportedly get paid even less and do not get the same benefits, since not all private hospitals can afford issuing packages and bonuses it.
When borders were reopening, there were reports that nurses in the country were “resigning in droves” to look for employment opportunities overseas. For example, healthcare workers’ top country of destination, Saudi Arabia, may earn at least P27,000 to over P55,500 monthly if they are routed through an agency, while those employed via a government-to-government program can earn a minimum of over P53,000 monthly.
Nurses preferring to work overseas may not be new, but now, it is happening under the cloud of the pandemic.
READ: No shortage of nurses but low pay, lack of tenure driving them abroad
“We will open more slots for the deployment of nurses abroad, while striving to improve opportunities domestically,” Marcos Jr. said.
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