Bill filed to increase nurses’ base salary at Php 64,000

MANILA, Philippines – A lawmaker filed a bill seeking to increase the base pay of public nurses to around Php 64,000.

Cong. Marvin Rillo seeks to increase the Salary Grade of public nurses from SG 15 to SG 21.

Quezon City Representative Marvin Rillo filed House Bill 5267 seeking to amend the Philippine Nursing Law written 20 years ago. Under the bill, nurses working in public institutions would move from Salary Grade 15 to Salary Grade 21. If the bill gets enacted, the bill will increase the pay of public nurses from P36,619 to P63,997 monthly.

According to Rillo, the proposal would be a big help in trying to “slow down” the migration of Filipino nurses to foreign countries. It would also encourage more students to pursue nursing as a profession. He said, “Once enacted, we expect our measure to help slow down the rapid migration of Filipino nurses to English-speaking overseas labor markets.”

“Our measure will also encourage a greater number of high school graduates to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree in college,” he added.

Last July, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) supported the need to address the nurse shortage in the country by lifting a 10-year ban on new nursing programs. CHED Chairperson Prospero “Popoy” De Vera III has allowed Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to apply to reopen new nursing programs. De Vera added that the decision was made after they considered the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) on the supply and demand of nurses during the pandemic.

The Department of Health (DOH) announced on September 29 that the country is facing a shortage of health workers, particularly nurses and doctors. DOH Officer-in-Charge Maria Rosario Vergeire estimates that they need around 106,000 nurses to fill positions in public health institutions.

Vergeire shared that they are working closely with the Department of Migrant Workers and the Department of Labor and Employment on possible benefits and incentives to encourage health workers to stay in the country rather than seek employment abroad.

— Sally, The Summit Express