Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Teodoro 'Ted' Herbosa bared on Monday his plans to establish a National Nursing Advisory Council tasked to address the pressing concerns in the nursing industry in the country.
In a press briefing, Herbosa said a department administrative order, that will formally order the creating of the council, will be issued soon.
He said the National Nursing Advisory Council will be composed of nursing organizations.
"We will get both public and private sector to fit in this council," the DOH Secretary said.
Herbosa also revealed his plans to appoint a chief nursing officer with a Undersecretary level, saying this was recommended earlier by the World Health Organization (WHO).
"To make this legal, we ask our friends in Congress to eventually pass a law to be able to create a chief nursing officer for the Philippines who will address all these things," he said.
National Nursing Advisory Council bubuuin ng Department of Health para tutukan ang mga problema ng mga nurse | RH 29 @boy_gonzales #RapidoHatawBalita #SamaSamaTayoPilipino pic.twitter.com/fHn1Lh1Yzp
— DZRH NEWS (@dzrhnews) June 26, 2023
According to the DOH chief, the chief nursing officer will address concerns such as the critical brain drain or the shortage of health professionals due to migration.
Meanwhile, in an interview with reporters, Herbosa once again mentioned his proposal to allow nursing graduates who flunked the Philippine Nurse Licensure Examination (PNLE), be given temporary or special licenses to work in government-owned hospitals.
He stressed that this is vital in augmenting the number of nurses in the country.
"Mahalaga ang kooperasyon ng ating pribadong sektor upang mapigilan ang tuluyang pagkaubos ng ating mga nurses. If we can offer them the opportunities they need, then we would be able to keep them here to serve the Filipinos. This is why we are grateful for the synergy that we have with the private sector to push for this initiative," the DOJ chief pointed out.
