Marcos to increase deployment cap of nurses abroad
Marcos on nurses’ benefits: Not enough
MANILA (UPDATE) — President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. on Thursday said he would raise the deployment of nurses overseas, just as he promised to address their profession’s problems in the country.
Marcos described Filipino nurses as among the best in the world, citing the sacrifices and challenges they had to endure just to serve the public during a pandemic.
“As we work hard to improve the state of our health care system at home let us join hands to maintain our country’s position as the gold standard when it comes to providing health care workers to hospitals and health facilities globally,” the President said during the 100th founding celebration of the Philippine Nurses Association in Manila.
“We will open more slots to the deployment of nurses abroad while striving to improve opportunities domestically,” he added.
The government earlier imposed a 7,500-deployment cap for health workers abroad, but the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) said the goal was yet to be reached.
Former POEA administrator Bernard P. Olalia said as of June this year, only 2,000 health workers were deployed overseas, far from the 7,500 limit.
At the height of the pandemic, the government imposed a deployment ban, later a deployment cap, on nurses to keep them from leaving the country following gaps in local hospital personnel.
But burned-out nurses resigned and chose to work in other industries.
Marcos is backing a strengthened Philippine Nurses Act, vowing to increase benefits and scholarship opportunities for nurses to address burnout.
The proposed New Philippine Nursing Practice Act is currently pending in Congress as of August last year, which aims to institute reforms to further protect and develop the nursing profession in the country.
He also promised that the government would address the salary disparity between private and public hospitals and the “uneven distribution of nurses” in different parts of the country.
“In order to do that, we have to address issues related to health facilities, benefits, and security of tenure. As we work hard to improve the state of our healthcare system at home, let us join hands to maintain our country’s position as the gold standard when it comes to providing healthcare workers to hospitals and health facilities globally,” Marcos said.
“We will not stop with just providing programs that improve your capacity as nurses. We will continue to provide you with the benefits that you deserve as healthcare workers,” he added.
During the event, the Chief Executive said government already disbursed a total of P25.82 billion worth of benefits for healthcare workers as of August this year, noting this is “not enough.”
“Sa palagay ko kulang pa ‘yan eh. Medyo hirap tayo sa pondo ngayon kaya’t sa ngayon ganyan lang muna. Pero palagay ko — binubuhay niyo ‘yung may sakit eh. Ibang usapan ‘yan. Walang — mahirap lagyan ng balor, ng dolyar, ng piso ‘yung trabahong ginagawa ninyo,” he said.
(I think that is not enough, we do not have enough funds right now so maybe what we have would suffice. You heal the sick and I think that is a different story but your efforts can never be compensated.)
“Please know that we understand this, that we know what you have done. We know the value of your work. And this is something that we know not only because of our personal experiences.”
BENEFITS NOT YET RECEIVED: EXEC
Philippine Nurses Association President Melvin Miranda said they have yet to receive the health benefits Marcos mentioned during the event.
The group will have a dialogue with the President regarding other issues, he added.
“From [special risk allowance], sa [One COVID Allowance], may nahinto sa pagdi-disburse so ngayon bibigyan niya ng atensyon para maisaayos ‘yon at maituloy sa pamamagitan ng RA 1172, yung health emergency allowance,” said Miranda during an ambush interview.
(The disbursement of benefits from the SRA to the One COVID Allowance has been stopped but the President said he would put his attention on this to fix it through the health emergency allowance.)
“Nahihirapan kami pero hindi kami nawawalan ng pag-asa.”
(It is hard but we are not losing hope.)
On the issue of nurses needing to work abroad, Miranda said it is an issue of salary competitiveness, even if many health care workers are family oriented.
Despite the current deployment cap though, government-to-government agreements make opportunities available abroad.
“Sa ngayon, tinitingnan namin ito ay professional development. It so happened lang na ang salary na ino-offer abroad ay very competitive. Sa reality, hindi natin mapapantayan sa ngayon but I think we can be there kung isasaayos ang batas… at welfare ng nurses,” he said.
(For now, we think this is also for professional development. It so happened that the salary being offered abroad is very competitive. In reality we cannot match it but it is attainable if the law is properly implemented and the welfare of nurses are prioritized.)
Marcos’ promises come amid the P890 million budget cut for the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in the government’s proposed spending plan next year, even as the COVID-19 pandemic and the threat of monkeypox lingered.
Some 4,000 health workers in the PGH, considered the country’s largest COVID-19 referral facility, have also yet to receive their One COVID allowance, or the streamlined benefits for frontline health workers involved in the country’s pandemic response.
The PGH union had said an increased budget would regularize more than 300 contractual and job order employees, upgrade Magna Carta benefits, and ensure safety and protection of PGH workers.
Source: Marcos to increase deployment cap of nurses abroad | ABS-CBN News