In light with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s vow to support nurses, Rizal 4th District Rep. Fidel Nograles assured that the Congress will collaborate with the executive branch to aid the improvement of working conditions for the health professionals.
Last week, Marcos pledged to the nurses that his administration will work on tackling the issues bugging the working conditions of the nursing industry in his speech during the 100th anniversary of the Philippine Nurses Association Inc.
“So the government recognizes and acknowledges your hard work and sacrifice, including risking your own health and lives to care for others… In fact, I have taken special note of the clamor to address issues in the nursing profession by the passage of the new Philippine Nursing Practice Act,” Marcos said during the event.
To support the statement of the President, House Committee on Labor Chairman Nograles said that Filipino nurses can count on the committee to work with the executive branch.
“Makakaasa ang bansa na makikipagtulungan tayo sa pangulo upang mapatotoo ang matagal nang inaasam ng ating mga nurse na mapabuti ang kalagayan nila, pangunahin na ang pagpapataas ng kanilang sahod,” the lawmaker said.
“We in the legislative will look at how we can intervene to establish a better working environment for our nurses. Ang dami nating nurse, ngunit hindi napupunan ang mga pangangailangan natin sa ating mga health institution dahil sa samu’t saring dahilan. We have to find out what we can do to avoid such impasse, and avoid crippling our healthcare system because our nurses do not wish to work here,” he added.
A huge difference in salary between nurses in public and private institutions is one of the issues in the industry. Entry-level nurses working in public hospitals are paid over P35,000, on the other hand nurses in the private sector are reportedly getting paid at only P12,000 monthly. In addition to that, provincial rates and lesser benefits are another factor.
Nograles call for the attention to engage the private sector to engage these issues, primarily by bridging the gap in pay of nurses in public and private hospitals
“Such disparity, which has gone on for years, is pushing nurses to seek better employment opportunities abroad,” he added.
The lawmaker also said the wage disparity is a complicated issue that cannot be answered by a mandating law to increase nurses’ pay.
“The fact is, some hospitals also simply cannot afford to increase their personnel’s salary,”
Nograles expressed hope to find a way that will facilitate the needs of the parties involved by finding a “workable solution.”
Photo Credit: Facebook/CongFidelNograles
