More licensed Pinoy nurses ending up jobless

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) reported that there are now close to 200,000 jobless nurses in the country and the number is expected to rise further with the measly budget allocated for public hospitals next year.

“There are 37,679 nurses who passed the licensure examination last July and these board passers will compete for jobs with an estimated 160,000 unemployed nurses in the country,” PNA executive director Maristela Abenojar said.

Due to the continuing rise in the number of jobless nurses, Abenojar said many nurses are forced to work and receive only “certificate of volunteerism” and “training experience” as payment.

While the number of unemployed nurses on the rise, Abenojar said an average of 8,000 to 10,000 health professionals leave the country to work overseas.

“What aggravates this situation is that the proposed health budget for 2011 has allotted a decreased budget for public hospitals and subsidy for indigents,” Abenojar said.

To avert further growth in the number of jobless nurses and improve the dismal working conditions of those employed in local hospitals, the PNA is now closely working with British parliamentarian David Amess.

Amess went to the country for a 10-day visit during which he met with concerned government officials and discussed plans to provide more and better employment for licensed Filipino nurses.

In his meeting with Health Secretary Enrique Ona, Amess recommended the allocation of additional budget for primary and secondary hospitals and create more positions in public health services, particularly in rural areas.

Amess also suggested the enactment of legislative measures prohibiting the hiring of “volunteer” nurses for a fee and just continue the government program deploying nurses in poor communities.

The British parliamentarian was also able to convince the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration to look into the working conditions of Filipino nurses employed in Japan as well as provide sufficient protection for all those who are working overseas.