DOH planning nat’l advisory panel for nurses

By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Maricel V. Cruz

HEALTH Secretary Ted Herbosa said he will establish a national advisory council to address the concerns of Filipino nurses, particularly their departure for better-paying jobs abroad.

At a press conference Monday, Herbosa said he would issue an administrative order to create a National Nursing Advisory Council with a de facto chief nursing officer who will function at the level of an undersecretary.

Herbosa added that he would also ask Congress to pass a law to make the appointment of the chief nursing officer legal.

Herbosa recently drew fire for his plan to hire unlicensed nurses to fill 4,500 vacancies in over 70 government hospitals nationwide and to address a severe shortage in three to five years.

But the Philippine Regulation Commission (PRC) has pointed out that there is no provision in the Philippine Nursing Act of 2002 that would legally allow the issuance of temporary licenses to nursing graduates who have yet to pass the Nursing Licensure Examination.

His plan has also been criticized by senators, who view the hiring of unlicensed nurses as dangerous.

Herbosa said the proposed national advisory council would be made up of nurses from the private and public sectors, including the heads of the

FOR THE FUTURE. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. plants a Molave tree seedling at the compound of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources on Monday in celebration of the 160th Anniversary of the Philippine Forestry Service Philippine Environment Month. With Mr. Marcos are (from left) Special Assistant to the President Secretary Antonio Lagdameo Jr., House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, DENR Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga, and Senator Cynthia Villar. Ver