Osmeña urges CHED to review nursing school accreditation policy

CEBU — Mayor Tomas Osmeña has complained that the policy of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in accrediting nursing schools would only cause the city to increase the number of hospital beds at the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC).

In a news conference yesterday morning, Osmeña said many nursing schools in the city want to forge a tie up with the city government following the CHED policy which requires nursing schools to have a hospital. The CHED policy also provides that only hospitals with 100 beds can affiliate with a nursing school.

"The CHED is biased towards the older schools. It requires a hospital for each school of nursing. But now if a hospital has 100 beds, it should be sponsored by one school," Osmeña said.

To date, the city-ran CCMC caters to two nursing schools — the city-owned nursing school and the Cebu Technological School — according to acting city administrator Francisco "Bimbo" Fernandez.

The city has considered using the city-owned condominium, located along N. Bacalso Avenue, as an extension of CCMC.

With more nursing schools wanting to forge partnerships with the city government for CHED accreditation, the city government is faced with the problem of providing more hospital beds and rooms for this purpose.

Besides, a floor of the three-story hospital is already used as classrooms for the city’s nursing students that there is a need to have additional space to put up more hospital beds.

"I had a meeting with councilors yesterday and we’re considering radical options, one of which is to close down the school of nursing, which by the way is doing very well and the only one in the city to get an ISO accreditation," Osmeña said. But the mayor said the city is not pushing this option because the city’s nursing school is doing well. — Cristina Birondo/ Freeman News Service