PhilHealth hiring own nurses

MANILA, Philippines - Members of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) can now enjoy personalized care when seeking treatment.

PhilHealth president Eduardo Banzon yesterday reported that the government-run agency has started hiring its own nurses to be deployed in various medical facilities nationwide.

Banzon said the nurses, who will be employed as part of PhilHealth’s Customer Assistance, Relations and Empowerment Staff (CARES), are getting P15,000 monthly salary and health insurance coverage.

He said those interested to work with PhilHealth have until tomorrow to apply online and e-mail their resumés to [email protected] under the subject heading “PhilHealth CARES Application.”

Applicants, Banzon said, should have superior communication skills, both oral and written; have the ability to listen and respond to customer concerns; are knowledgeable about MS Office applications; and are adept at using online application systems on wireless communication devices.

“We expect them to be totally customer-focused, passionate about results, and highly resourceful,” Banzon added.

At least 530 nurses will be initially deployed starting next month, after PhilHealth completes the recruitment and training process.

Upon deployment, the nurses would ensure that qualified PhilHealth members are able to avail themselves of benefits hassle-free through spot eligibility checks in hospitals.

“They (nurses) will expedite the documentary requirements of PhilHealth members in hospitals, and lessen the return-to-hospital (benefit) claims,” Banzon said.

He said the CARES nurses will also help encourage non-members to enlist with PhilHealth, and facilitate payment of insurance premiums in hospitals.

“We have chosen to recruit nurses not only because they have been trained to provide care for patients, but also we recognize that many nurses are having extreme difficulty obtaining any gainful employment,” Banzon said.

The Professional Regulation Commission sees the number of totally unemployed Filipino nurses hitting 298,000 this year, to include the 68,000 who took the licensure examinations last December.