Government hospitals to employ nursing grads who failed board exams

MANILA, Philippines — Nursing graduates who failed their board exam with scores between 70-74 percent will be employed in government hospitals, according to the Department of Health (DOH).  

“I will tap them, around 50 percent of those who took the board exam but did not pass – specifically those who achieved a 70-74 percent rating,” Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said in an interview at the DOH central office yesterday. 

The measure, supported by Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma, will allow non-board passers to work in state hospitals under supervision and with temporary licenses. 

Non-board passers will be given four years to pass the Philippine Nurse Licensure Examination. 

After passing the board exam, they have to sign a four-year return service agreement and work in government hospitals before they are allowed to work abroad.

“The plan to hire unlicensed nursing graduates is because under the Universal Health Care, the core of any health system are nurses, that is why they are being pirated by other countries... They have the capability to build more hospitals so they would then be needing the services of more nurses,” he said. 

The private sector offered scholarships for the board review classes of unlicensed nursing graduates, Herbosa said. 

Health attachés 

Meanwhile, Pangasinan Rep. Maria Rachel Arenas filed a bill to deploy health attachés abroad to counter the emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases worldwide. 

In House Bill 8444, health attachés will be deployed in Philippine embassies and consular offices to conduct a “coordinated response” to public health threats. 

The health attachés will provide scientific and policy guidance on areas of public health practices, report on health matters in an international setting and promote global health security and safety, among others.  

Global health diplomacy (GHD), the bill read, is hardly present in the Philippines’ international engagements even though GHD is “firmly established in the global health lexicon.” 

The bill hopes to create at least 200 health attachés under the GHD Office.  — Sheila Crisostomo