P25k salary for Pinoy nurses sought

MANILA, Philippines - Lawmakers want to increase the monthly salaries of Filipino nurses in government hospitals to nearly P25,000 to prevent them from seeking other jobs abroad.

Bayan Muna Reps. Neri Colmenares and Carlos Isagani Zarate have filed House Bill 178, which will upgrade the present Salary Grade 11 of Filipino nurses of P15,649 to Salary Grade 15 with a monthly salary of P24,887.

"The bill aims to upgrade the minimum salary grade level of nurses to provide them with just compensation and to encourage more health workers to work in government hospitals instead of going abroad," Colmenares said.

Colmenares said the nurses were supposed to get Salary Grade 15 when Congress enacted into law the Nursing Act of 2002.

He said in 2002, when Congress passed the Philippine Nursing Act or the Republic 9173, nurses all over the country thought it would increase their "inhumanely low wages."

"However, year after, it was proven to be an empty promise, with the government failing to allocate funds for its implementation," Colmenares said.

Colmenares said the government failed to provide for public nurses amid the clamor of health groups and the continuing increase in the daily cost of living, 

"This resulted in registered nurses seeking jobs abroad or in unrelated industries," Colmenares said.

"Despite the mushrooming of nursing schools in the country and the large number of graduates, there is (still) a shortage of working nurses in the country," he added.

Colmenares said it is the government's concern and responsibility to provide adequate pay for health workers.