The Department of Health (DOH) issued a call to licensed Filipino nurses on Monday, urging them to serve in public and private hospitals across the country in order to address the nurse shortage.
“Paparatingin natin sa mga nurses natin: Nasaan kayo? Kailangan kayo ng ating bansa. Pumunta na kayo sa amin sapagkat hinihintay namin kayo at maaaring ito na ang pagkakataon na ang mga narses ay maglilingkod sa mga ospital, hindi lang sa pampubliko, maging sa mga pribadong ospital,” Health Undersecretary Enrique Tayag, the DOH spokesperson, conveyed the message to Filipino nurses.
He explained that the DOH had conducted an assessment to determine the whereabouts of registered but non-practicing nurses, as there is a continued demand for nurses and other healthcare workers in the country.
“We also asked because when we coordinated with the PRC [Professional Regulation Commission] and Philippine nurse associations. There are many nurses who have graduated and passed. So the question is, where are you?” Tayag remarked.
While acknowledging that the DOH cannot compel licensed nurses to work in government hospitals, Tayag emphasized that the department would consistently announce job vacancies for nurses, in the hopes of encouraging their application.
Just this month, the DOH logged around 124,000 licensed and registered Filipino nurses who are unemployed, underemployed, or undertaking non-related jobs.
