DOH urged to probe govt hospitals for 'mess' in nurse OJT program

Saying it should not be singled out as "exploiters," a group of private hospitals challenged the Department of Health Thursday to also investigate government hospitals over alleged exploitation of on-the-job training (OJT) nurses.

Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines (PHAP) president Dr. Rustico Jimenez said they have received information that government hospitals are also hiring registered nurses as OJTs and not as regular employees. “Matagal na yan, mas marami pa ngang government hospitals, di lang private. Na-single out lang ang private (It’s been going on for a long time, mostly in government hospitals. Yet the private hospitals are being singled out)," Jimenez said in an interview on dwIZ radio. While he admitted he has no hard evidence against such practices by government hospitals, he said the DOH must at least also look into these. On Tuesday, a Senate panel began its probe on alleged exploitation of OJT nurses, who are not given proper compensation that regular employees enjoy. Senate health committee chairwoman Pilar Juliana Cayetano said some OJT nurses were even made to pay P5,000 to P7,000 for the supposed training or certification, depending on the hospital and the training duration, which is six weeks to eight months. Cayetano said nurses need to comply with a required minimum two-year work experience for employment abroad, they are "constrained" to work as OJTs in hospitals. During last Tuesday's panel hearing, Dr. Leah Primitiva Samaco-Paquiz of the Nurse Advocates for Rights and Socio-Economic Political Responsibility (Ang NARS) said since there is an oversupply of job applicants, hospitals do not open new positions for nurses and do not fill up vacated plantilla positions in order to save on salaries. Paquiz also said some hospitals offer three-month “training programs" for nurses wherein they are given the same responsibilities as staff nurses but are only given a monthly allowance of P1,000. In the same radio interview on Thursday, Jimenez said the PHAP continues to investigate allegations its member hospitals are exploiting nurses, adding that the association will impose heavy sanctions on those found guilty. He said the heaviest penalty against PHAP members found exploiting nurses will be revocation of their accreditation, meaning they can no longer accept patients. But so far, he said there has been no evidence to back up any claim against private hospitals. “There are no formal complaints, much less proof, against any private hospital," he said. Jimenez said rumors about exploitation of nurses have been circulating for over a year, but no one has come forward to file a formal complaint. “Isang taon na yan, sinasabi namin sa kanila sabihin sino ang nagrereklamo para maimbestigahan ang hospital. Walang nagbibigay sino sila, kung saang hospital (It’s been going on for a year. We asked those making such claims to name names, but nothing has happened)," he said. Until proof comes out to back up such claims, he said these allegations will remain “hearsay." — LBG/RSJ, GMANews.TV