Herbosa mulls employing unlicensed nursing grads to address exodus

Newly appointed Health Secretary Ted Herbosa on Thursday said he would consider taking in unlicensed nursing graduates to work for the government, given that they pass the board exam after a certain period of time.

Talking about his plans to address the issue of healthcare workers leaving the country for better-paying jobs abroad, Herbosa said he was able to talk with an official from the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) to see how the 4,500 vacant nursing positions in the government could be filled in.

The new chief of the Department of Health (DOH) then said he is willing to employ unlicensed nursing graduates if they have diplomas from accredited nursing schools. If allowed to work in the government, he said these graduates could earn a starting salary of around P35,000 to P40,000, which will go higher with experience.

“We have several nurses that don’t pass the board examination and who don’t have a license. In government, you cannot work without a license, but I am willing to take them if they have a diploma,” Herbosa said in an interview on ANC.

“I’ll make it eligible. If you have a diploma in an accredited school, recognized, I give you a period of time to pass it… You make them work for five years, I’m giving you five years to pass the board exam,” he added.

Herbosa said that he will even invest in mentoring the graduates so that they can pass the board exam within five years and receive the full salary and benefits due to a licensed nurse.

He, however, pointed out that he still has to check with the PRC if the law has to be amended to allow such.

The Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines Inc. (PHAPI) earlier said that 40% to 50% of nurses in private hospitals have resigned in the last two years due to pay issues.

While admitting that Filipino healthcare workers have the right to get better salaries, Herbosa said their concerns need to be addressed so that they would provide their world-class service to the Philippine healthcare system instead.

“The right for better life is embodied in our Constitution. If a nurse wants to go abroad to get a salary that I cannot give, I shouldn't stop that person because what I should look at is why I cannot pay the same amount so they could be here in their own country… I will make a solution for what will make them stay,” he said.  —KBK, GMA Integrated News