NextGen Day

One approach to the nursing shortage in the Philippines may be to implement scholarship programs with a required return service because Filipino nurses prefer to work abroad due to better wages.

Rep. Ray Reyes of the Anakalusugan Party list claimed in a news release on Sunday that offering nursing students scholarships and return service would be a “win-win solution” for the nation.

House Bill (HB) No. 6631, also known as the “Nursing Scholarship and Return Service Program Act,” was introduced by Reyes with the intention of awarding scholarships to deserving students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in nursing at state universities and colleges as well as private higher education institutions in the region.

According to the local government unit (LGU) and Department of Health confirmation, the student will work in the province or municipality hospital or provider for 1.5 years for every academic year of the scholarship received (DOH).

He declared, “Our suggested scholarship program will unquestionably help individuals who aspire to take up nursing in college and follow it as a profession.

Just 53.55 percent of the 951,105 registered nurses in the nation are now actively practicing, according to data from the Professional Regulatory Commission as of March 24.

“The government must make sure there are enough healthcare professionals available at all times, in every municipality and village across the nation. The health and welfare of these healthcare professionals must likewise be a top focus, Reyes continued.

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) was given a directive by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Wednesday to address the nursing shortage brought on by emigration to nations with higher wages.

The DOH predicted a 106,000 nurse deficit in the nation in October of last year.

In order to properly integrate the scholar into the public health and medical care system and to offer the requisite number of plantilla posts to accommodate the new nurses, the DOH will be responsible under HB 6631 for determining the number of nurses for each town or province.

The DOH must also design a career plan to improve the scholar’s competencies and skills.

According to Reyes, “We want to ensure that each municipality or province has scholars who will serve their respective towns, making sure that we have enough nurses evenly distributed throughout the country.”

Freshman students are not the only ones eligible for the scholarship grant; current nursing students who choose to participate in the program are also eligible.

The program will offer interested applicants free tuition and school fees, money for books and other necessary supplies and equipment, financial support for internships, and health insurance.

extra schools

To stop nurses from leaving the country, Senator Francis Tolentino asked CHED and other concerned organizations to create more nursing schools and increase nursing faculty wages.

We must strike a balance between the need for nurses and their right to seek employment abroad in order to improve their standard of living, Tolentino said in a radio interview on Sunday.

According to Tolentino, the government cannot stop people from working abroad and looking for higher earnings in order to provide for their families futures.

According to data conducted by his office, public hospitals in the Philippines have an entry-level wage of PHP33,000 whereas private hospitals give monthly salaries ranging from PHP12,000 to PHP20,000.

While nurses can potentially bring their families with them to the United States, salaries in Europe can range from PHP80,000 to PHP200,000.

Tolentino suggests another solution, which is similar to Reyes’ proposal: passing legislation that is similar to the Doctors to the Barrios Program, which was put into place in 1993 and requires graduates of state universities to serve for at least three years in rural areas with a shortage of medical professionals.

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