Senators asked the Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday to prioritize the increase in healthcare worker wages before considering recruiting unlicensed nurses.

In a statement, Senator Nancy Binay hoped to see a clear and concrete program for hospitals regarding alleviating the plight of healthcare workers.

In a separate statement, Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentel suggested looking at nurses’ salaries first and providing more incentives for them to continue practicing for the nation.

Pimentel also emphasized that nurses leave the country for a higher-paying job abroad, resulting in a lack of healthcare workers in the Philippines.

He added that allowing non-board passers to practice nursing and giving them temporary licenses is only a short-term solution.

Binay also pointed out the practicality of prioritizing the employment of unemployed nurses and reviewing, amending, and offering better-paying contracts to them, considering better benefits, and rationalizing their workloads.

According to Health Secretary Ted Herbosa, the DOH intends to issue temporary licenses to nursing graduates who received 70% to 74% on the boarding exam and hire them to fill the country's medical personnel shortfall.

As stated in RA 9173, or the Philippine Act of 1991. Examiners of the nursing licensing test "must obtain a general average of at least 75% with a rating of not less than 60% in any subject" to pass.