Several nursing organizations on Tuesday opposed the proposal to provide temporary licenses to nursing graduates who failed the board examination, in order for them to work in government hospitals.
Melvin Miranda, president of the Philippine Nurses Association (PNA), said that Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa should reconsider his idea to hire nursing graduates who flunked their licensure examinations, provided that they pass the board exam after a specific amount of time.
In an interview, Miranda stated that flunked nursing students that will be given a temporary license have a scope of practice that has not yet been considered.
He went on to say that because they are not legally permitted to practice, the burden will fall on registered nurses, who will be held accountable.
Miranda emphasized that their primary concern as nurses is the safety of their patients, suggesting that the Department of Health (DOH) should instead assign plantilla positions to professional nurses.
He further explained that if a nurse is licensed, his or her degree of confidence and ability will be compared to that of a professional, and there is no definitive evidence to establish that unlicensed nursing graduates have developed a high level of confidence in doing their responsibilities when they are provided temporary licenses.
The PNA president thought that the situation was quite risky and needed more study.
Mirannda's remark was supported by Filipino Nurses United (FNU) Secretary General Jocelyn Andamo, who stated that the DOH should instead focus on employing registered nurses because there are over 120,000 of them who are not currently working in the nursing industry.
She emphasized that the government should solve concerns concerning nurses, particularly compensation and benefits, in order to retain them working in the Philippines.
According to Herbosa, temporarily licensed nurses will be required to return to a government hospital for up to four years after passing their board exam before being allowed to travel overseas.
Meanwhile, some senators also expressed their opposition to the proposal.
