Nurses shortage worsens

SOUTHERN LEYTE – High salary and demand from first world countries for registered nurses, and the loosening of travel abroad contribute to the flight of nurses from our country.
After almost three years Covid-19 pandemic scare, many countries have eased their travel restrictions. Many job opportunities have become available and registered nurses are among the most in-demand jobs.
Public and private hospitals in Southern Leyte are continuously hiring registered nurses.
One medical staff in a private hospital said, “Nagkahurot na among mga nurses diri, Ma’am, ang uban dili ra madugay mo apply man abroad. Last week lang gani usa ka nurse nga nadawat nilarga sa Canada. (We are running out of nurses here, Ma’am, some of them applied abroad.)
He also expressed that the main reason why some of them left for abroad is because of low salary, “Kay kung maka abroad ka dako man ang mahatag sa imong pamilya, except diri.” (If you will go abroad, you can give bigger amount to your family, except here in our country.)
According to the report, the following are the healthcare worker’s top countries of destination: United States, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, Qatar, Germany, United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Kuwait, Oman and Ireland.
Saudi Arabia provides variety of perks to nurse practitioners, such as paid leave, accommodation, transportation reimbursement, experience compensation, medical insurance, tax-free earnings, airfare, training and assistance and the choice to bring your partner and kids along.
According to International Hospitals Recruitment Inc, the compensation range for foreign nurses working in the Middle East is an estimated 3,500 US dollars or more, depending on their level of expertise.
Recently, the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announces that out of 9,729 examinees a total of 6,616 passed the Philippine Nurse Licensure Examination last May 2022.
Over 310,000 of 910,000 registered nurses in the Philippines are working abroad, according to the Filipino Nurses United and the Health Department. (RCabodbod)