Under a new agreement between the Department of Health (DOH), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the Private Sector Advisory Council, nursing students can now receive free refresher lessons for their licensure exam.
Under the joint agreement order (JAO) signed Wednesday by representatives from the three organizations, first-time licensing exam takers, retakers, and those who want to return to nursing may enroll in review classes at authorized higher education institutions.
The DOH and CHED will fund the free lectures, and private and public government hospitals have agreed to pay the expenses of their clinical care associates.
According to DOH Secretary Ted Herbosa, the deal attempts to address the country's nursing shortage.
Many nursing students and graduates, based on Herbosa, do not take review classes due to the cost.
On the other hand, CHED Chairperson Prospero de Vera III said that the program will help produce more nurses.
Herbosa stated that the country now has 511,173 licensed nurses; however, only half of them work in the Philippines.
He explained that the remaining half work in other nations or businesses, which is why many hospitals, such as the Philippine General Hospital, are understaffed.
The DOH chief added that the free review class is only one of several initiatives the government is taking to solve the nursing shortage.
He also stated that the government is in the midst of forming an advisory council to educate authorities about the sector's challenges.
