In response to President Duterte’s call to Congress to amend the country’s nursing law, 28 lawmakers have jointly filed a bill seeking to provide for an advanced nursing education program and to elevate the country's status as a producer of leaders, experts, and authorities in the field of nursing.
House Majority Leader Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez and her wife, Tingog Sinirangan partylist Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez, led the filing of House Bill No. 7344 or the proposed Advanced Nursing Education Act to amend certain provisions of the Philippine Nursing Act of 2002.
They said the education programs employed by the country’s local nursing educational institutions appear to be “too short-sighted” and focused on churning out batches for immediate forays abroad in search of opportunities.
“Too much emphasis has been placed in producing nursing degree-holders, that the opportunity to further educate our nurses in advanced programs has been overlooked,” the Romualdezes said in the bill’s explanatory note.
Twenty-six other House member co-authored HB No. 7344.
"Advanced nursing education programs have the capacity to further catapult our nurses to realize greater opportunities through the opening up of leadership roles, specialization in specific practice areas, and recognition in the fields of research and advanced nursing education,” they said in their bill’s explanatory note.
They said the proposed development of advanced nursing programs will not only benefit the nurses, but also the educational institutions that will cater to a potentially large demand for advanced nursing education.
“By introducing a new dimension to the local nursing education program and opening a whole new aspect of nursing education not previously tapped, we can elevate our status further to be recognized as a producer of leaders, experts, and authorities in the field of nursing,” they said.