More government doctors becoming nurses

More and more government doctors are opting to become licensed nurses and are seeking better paying jobs abroad.

A Department of Health (DOH) official yesterday reported that seven out of 10 government doctors who left the country to work abroad were physicians-turned-nurses.

“About 85 percent of the country’s nursing sector and not the entire health profession are leaving the Philippines for jobs overseas,” said Dr. Kenneth Ronquillo of the DOH Human Resource Development Office.

Ronquillo pointed out that the seven out of 10 doctors leaving the country are government physicians who are either enrolled in nursing courses or have become licensed nurses.

Ronquillo said that based on the Professional Regulation Commission database, the country had a total of 332,206 registered nurses as of 2003.

Of the total supply, it is estimated that 58 percent or 193, 223 are employed either here or abroad.

The Health department admitted that labor migration has never been more felt than today, when Filipino doctors and health practitioners are left with no choice but to go abroad due to lack of opportunities in the country.

The exodus of doctors for the last five years for higher paying jobs overseas is resulting in the near collapse of the country’s health system, Health Secretary Francisco Duque earlier said.

The Philippines has become one of the biggest suppliers of healthcare workers in the world. Based on the records of the World Health Organization, the Philippines is the second largest exporter of physicians, next to India and the largest exporter of nursing services.