Understaffing forced PGH nurses to double as utility workers

MANILA, Philippines — Severe understaffing has led to nursing attendants functioning also as utility workers (UWs) at the Philippine General Hospital, the group All UP Workers Union-Manila/PGH claimed yesterday.

Karen Mae Faurillo, All UP Workers Union-Manila/PGH president, pointed out in a statement that because of the situation, the nursing attendants “are now forced to function also as utility workers.”

“In pre-COVID time, there are about 400-plus UWs with plantilla positions; yet currently there are about 300-plus UWs. Charity wards lack at least two UWs and there are more utility workers in the wards during night shifts, and even in pay wards. Apparently, there is no hiring for the unfilled plantilla positions of the UWs in PGH,” Faurillo said.

She noted that the problem on understaffing also affected the nursing attendants (NAs) at PGH.

“In 2018, there were about 420 NAs with plantilla positions. Presently, there are only 310 NAs in PGH. Still, no hiring was made to replace the unfilled plantilla positions.”

Worse, Faurillo lamented, nurses work beyond the eight-hour duty or even go on a 16-hour shift.

“The extended working hours of nurses are mainly due to the inefficiency of the Nursing Service to timely hire nurses and/or replace the six to 10 nurses who resign every month. There is no overtime pay or an assured extra off as the influx of patients continues. Nurses’ wages remain low compared to other Asian countries,” she said.

The All UP Workers Union-Manila/PGH noted that the nurse-to-patient ratio in wards reached a “one is to 18-20” with more or less six intubated patients and/or on high-flow oxygen.

This ratio, the group claimed, is far from the Department of Health standard of 1:12 in ambulatory wards.

For Benjamin Santos Jr., vice president of the union, the PGH should be hiring health workers to fill its permanent plantilla positions.

“PGH is the largest government tertiary hospital in the country and the only national referral center for tertiary care. Health workers are vital and essential workforce in PGH,” Santos said.

The union stressed that hiring health workers with no plantilla positions – like those doing contractual, contract-of-service and job order status of work – deprives health workers of the benefits and protection provided under the Magna Carta of Public Health Workers or Republic Act 7305.

“The lingering problem of understaffing and the hiring of health workers through COS not only in PGH is totally unacceptable. This runs counter to recognizing us health workers as modern-day heroes,” Santos said.

To help resolve the issue, Santos urged the PGH administration and the Marcos Jr. government to look into their welfare, recognize their value by resolving the problem of understaffing, hire workers with plantilla positions, protect their right to safe and decent working conditions and raise their wages.

“In that way, we will experience healthy working conditions, thus we can continue to provide quality health care to our patients,” he said.