Palace finding ways to help jobless nurses find work

Malacañang is exploring ways to help some 287,000 nursing graduates find at least temporary employment, even as it admitted its resources are limited for now. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte hinted that the Palace is considering a setup similar to the Registered Nurses for Health Enhancement And Local Service (RN-Heals) program. “Maghahanap tayo ng ibang programa tulad ng RN-Heals para matulungan ang guma-graduate na nurses," she said on government radio dzRB. But she pointed out, “Medyo limited pa ang resources natin (Our resources are still limited)." On Friday, the Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) said some 287,000 nurses remain jobless because of a saturated market. Also, many countries imposed stricter rules on hiring foreign nurses, leaving many Filipino nurses jobless. The government’s RN-Heals program trains and deploys 10,000 registered nurses to poor rural communities in the country. It aimed to address the shortage of skilled nurses in 1,221 rural and “unserved or underserved" communities in the country for one year. Registered nurses who will qualify for the program will get an allowance of P8,000 per month, plus a minimum of P2,000 counterpart from the local government unit (LGU) they are serving. Board and lodging will also be provided by the LGU, which will also supervise the registered nurses and ensure their safety and security, according to the Department of Health Secretary Enrique Ona. The nurses will eventually be part of the pool of competent nurses for later employment or absorption in health facilities. — LBG, GMA News