BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – At least 285 nurses in the Cordillera have answered the call to serve in the barrios under the Nurses to Rural Areas (NARS) program.
Deployed in 55 towns in the six provinces in the region, the first batch of 195 nurses went to the Cordilllera interiors last April 13, followed by another group of 90 more nurses on April 20.
The labor department said the 285 nurses will stay in the interior villages for six months.
Each nurse will receive a stipend of P8,000 per month.
Nurses were deployed in three Apayao towns: Conner; Cabugao and Pudtol; seven Kalinga towns: Balbalan, Lubuagan, Pasil, Pinukpuk, Rizal, Tanudan and Tinglayan; and eight Ifugao towns: Alfonso, Lista, Aguinaldo, Asipulo, Hingyon, Hungduan, Kiangan, Mayoyao and Tinoc.
The nurses were also sent to seven Mountain Province towns – Barlig, Besao, Natonin, Paracelis, Sabangan, Sadanga and Tadian; six towns in Benguet – Bakun, Kabayan, Kapangan, Kibungan, Sablan and Tublay; and 24 towns in Abra – Baay-Licuan, Bucay, Danglas, Dolores, La Paz, Lacub, Lagangilang, Lagayan, Peñarrubia, Pilar, Pidigan, San Juan, Tayum, Tubo, Villaciosa, Luba, Manabo, San Quintin, Langiden, Daguioman, Boliney, Bucloc, San Isidro, and Sallapadan.
The NARS program is a government social protection intervention under the president’s Economic Resiliency Program (ERP), where nurses are deployed to undeserved areas in pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals on health, as well as to provide the nurses extensive training and employment.