By Junex Doronio
MANILA — Acknowledging that their inadequate salary in the home country have compelled many Filipino nurses to seek the proverbial greener pastures abroad, a lawmaker on Sunday (10 November 2024) took notice that some 20,948 Filipino nurses sought jobs in the United States in first nine months of this year.
Quezon City Rep. Marvin Rillo has championed the welfare of Filipino nurses as he vigorously pushed for the passage of his House Bill No. 5276, which seeks to raise by 74 percent, or to P67,005 (Salary Grade 21), the basic monthly pay of entry-level nurses in government hospitals.
At present, entry-level nurses at Department of Health (DOH) hospitals receive P38,413 (Salary Grade 15) in basic monthly pay.
“We maintain that higher pay is still the most effective way for us to improve job satisfaction and retain some of our nurses here in the local health sector,”
Rillo, vice chairperson of the House committee on higher and technical education, said in a statement.
He noted that a total 20,948 Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) graduates from the Philippines took their first U.S. licensure test from January to September this year, apparently hoping to obtain gainful employment in the “land of milk and honey” America.
Meanwhile, in the Senate, Sen. Raffy Tulfo has also been batting for the passage of his Senate Bill No. 2694, which seeks to increase by 40 percent, or to P53,873 (Salary Grade 19), the basic pay of entry-level nurses in public health institutions.
Both bills seek to amend the 22-year-old Philippine Nursing Act.
“The number of Philippine-educated nurses seeking to practice their profession in America and other foreign labor markets remains very high, mainly on account of inadequate pay here at home,” Rillo lamented.
Citing data from the U.S. National Council of State Boards of Nursing Inc., Rillo also disclosed that a total of 4,456 nursing graduates from India also took their first U.S. licensure test from January to September, along with 2,665 graduates.
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