MANILA – The Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) on Thursday called for the passage of the Philippine Nursing Act, which they said will standardize the salaries of nurses working in the private and government sectors.

Speaking on TeleRadyo, the group’s president Melvin Miranda said some nurses in small private hospitals in some regions of the country are earning less than their counterparts in government hospitals.

“Ang pinaka base pay, ito na rin po ay galing sa (Department of Health) National Health Human Resource, na ang base pay for private ay P9,517 na umaabot hanggang P14,000 na base pay,” he said.

(According to the Department of Health National Health Human Resource, the base pay for nurses in private healthcare institutions ranges from P9,517-P14,000.)

In contrast, nurses in public hospitals have a base pay of P32,503.

“Ang aming nabinbin na proposed Philippine Nursing Act ang makakapagbigay ng katuparan po talaga dahil kung ito po ay nasabatas, maii-standardize po natin or mai-institutionalize po natin ang suweldo for both private and government healthcare institutions.”

“With this po, pwede po na gawin ng gobyerno bilang alternatibo na tulungan po ang ating mga maliliit na ospital na i-subsidize po sila na kung sakali ay magkakaroon ito ng transition na maaaring ipantay po ang ating suweldo sa private institutions sa government healthcare institutions,” he explained.

(Our proposed Philippine Nursing Act will standardize or institutionalize nurses' pay for both private and government institutions. With this, government can help small hospitals and subisidize them so nurses from both public and private hospitals have the same pay.)

Miranda said more nurses are now leaving their jobs in private hospitals to work in government healthcare institutions or abroad.

“Even ang private hospital association ay nagbabanggit na po sa atin na ang nurses sa private hospital ay either lumilipat po sa ating mga government healthcare institution or their options is definitely pumunta abroad.”

(Even the private hospital association has told us that their nurses either leave to work in government hospitals or go abroad.)

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Aside from standardizing pay, he said the nursing act will improve nurses’ job performance.

“Ito rin po’y magbibigay-tuon sa ilang mga bagay tulad po ng ating advanced practice nursing na kung saan magbibigay ng magandang framework sa ating propesyon, sa career progression,” he said.

(This will also focus on other things like advanced practice nursing, which will give nurses a good career framework, a career progression.)

--TeleRadyo, 2 June 2022