The hiring of non-board passers as nursing assistants to address the shortage of health professionals in the country has long been a practice of private hospitals, an executive of the Philippine Federation of Professional Associations (PFPA) said.
This is amid suggestions to employ non-passers of the Philippines Nurses Licensure Examination to address shortage of nurses in the country.
“Sa katunayan ay tinutulungan nila ang mga ito para maipasa at sila ang nagbibigay ng ayuda para sila’y makakuha ng board exam,” PFPA vice president Dr. Benito Atienza said in the June 28 Laging Handa briefing.
Atienza said expanding the number of nursing programs offered at state universities, maintaining training quality, and scholarships will be of help.
He also brought up the need to raise the compensation of nurses in private hospitals.
“Almost half lang ng ating mga [nurse] na nagseserbisyo sa mga private [hospital], kasi ang iba, nagte-train lang sa mga private hospital lalo na sa mga Level 3 tapos lumilipat sa government hospitals kasi mataas ang suweldo roon,” he said.
“Siguro tulungan din ng government ang mga private hospital para doon sa kanilang compensation, hindi lang sa private hospital ang magbibigay,” he added.
Meanwhile, Atienza welcomed the plan to establish a nursing advisory council to address the demand for nurses in the country. – With reports from Andrei Bautista-ag