Charles Teves
A legislator has introduced a bill requiring newly licensed Filipino doctors and nurses to serve in the Philippines for a year. This is before pursuing employment overseas.
In a Tuesday interview on ANC, Malasakit and Bayahanihan party-list Representative Anthony Rolando Golez Jr. explained that House Bill No. 6232, the Mandatory Medical Service Bill, intends to tackle the healthcare worker deficit in the country.
The Department of Health (DOH) reported a shortage of approximately 106,000 nurses last year, a number that has since increased to 350,000.
According to Golez, “The threat is real for us to see later on that this may be a national security concern because of the threat of an impending or a new strain of virus that will run around our country and we will be needing doctors.”
“Filipinos are very good doctors and nurses. What will happen if everybody is out? At least we know that we have a regular supply of nurses and doctors for a year,” he added.
The DOH has previously considered implementing an “incentive program” from other nations to combat brain drain within the local healthcare sector.
DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire stated that fewer than half of Filipino nurses remain and work in the Philippines due to the ongoing migration of healthcare professionals to other countries.
Filipinos did not agree with the proposal given that many health professionals have yet to be compensated for their work during the pandemic.
How punitive.
The gov’t has even fully paid the benefits of COVID-19 healthcare workers. How long has it been? 3 years
Give them enough reason to stay. My goodness. https://t.co/GHTNBQz41U
— Budget Babe (@znsuzara) May 2, 2023
So Slavery? https://t.co/eNHUxP6fh0
— KevinLeversee.com The 'Get Shit Done' Guy (@kevinleversee) May 2, 2023
Has the govt considered making doctors and nurses want to stay and serve? IDK maybe fund the public health system or raise our salaries? Wag puro budget-slash sa PGH. Imagine 9 years ka nagaral tapos 15k lang sahod mo sa private hospital 🤡 https://t.co/jltETzVqGu
— EJSD🇵🇭🌸 (@flumazen1L) May 2, 2023
Compensate our health workers properly then. Kunin ang budget sa sweldo ng politicians. https://t.co/37NuDL67Oz
— J (@ceeejong) May 2, 2023
Let's try everything else but increase the salary and lighten the workload 🙃 https://t.co/a9ZAyfH5HB
— 마디 Soriño, MD (@madzsource) May 2, 2023
I got a feeling they will do this to other field of professions as well. https://t.co/K0hBoRN2Tl
— Drew (@Drew98_vt) May 2, 2023
HAHAHA r u joking me 🤣 https://t.co/QdkPWcX3ll
— green spikers luv / anne 💚🌸 (@xxclouderx) May 2, 2023
Private hospitals in the Philippines typically pay nurses between P9,000 and P15,000, as reported by the Philippine Nurses Association.
Entry-level nurses in public hospitals receive a starting monthly salary of P33,000. Last month, a group of nurses called on the government to increase the entry-level salary for nurses to P50,000 in response to high inflation.
