DOH: Private sector offered review scholarships for nursing grads who will work in gov't hospitals

Health Secretary Ted Herbosa said Thursday that the private sector offered to shoulder the expenses for the board review of eligible nursing graduates, given that they will render service to government hospitals.

The newly appointed chief of the Department of Health (DOH) said this in light of his plan to take in unlicensed nursing graduates to work for the government, as long as they pass the board exam after a certain period of time.

“Lumapit sa akin ang private sector, sila na raw ang magbibigay ng scholarship sa mga nurse na hindi makapasa kung iha-hire sila doon sa position na ‘yun,” he said in TV interview.

(The private sector came to me and said they will give scholarships to nursing graduates who did not pass the board exam if they are hired in that position.)

He noted that the tuition in review centers usually take around P25,000, and not all nursing graduates could afford it.

“‘Yung ating mga walang kaya na kababayan na nakatapos ng nursing, walang trabaho tapos walang pambayad ng board review, eh paano makakapasa ‘yun? Feeling ko, pag-trabahuin ko siya as a nurse, nakatulong pa siya sa vacant position, malamang ‘pag nag-trabaho siya as a nurse, sigurado one or two tries mapapasa niya ‘yung board exam,” Herbosa added.

(How could the poor nursing graduates who have no job and could not afford the board review pass the exam? If I let them work as a nurse, not only will they help fill in the vacant position, but they will also surely pass the board exam in one or two tries.)

Once they pass the board exam, Herbosa said the licensed nurses have to sign a four-year return service agreement and provide service to government hospitals before they are allowed to go abroad.

Currently, there are 4,500 vacant plantilla items for nurses in over 70 DOH hospitals, according to him.

Herbosa earlier 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. —Giselle Ombay/ VAL, GMA Integrated News