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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Higher salary for public hospital nurses eyed

Higher salary for public hospital nurses eyed

Published Sep 3, 2020 03:18 pm

Malacañang has suggested a higher salary for public hospital nurses to keep them from seeking employment overseas.

(JANSEN ROMERO / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque made the statement after a recent study conducted by information aggregator iPrice Group revealed that Filipino registered nurses earn the least compared to their peers in the Southeast Asian region.

After comparing the average monthly salary of a mid-level nurse in the Philippines to those in Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, and Indonesia, iPrice Group found out that experienced Filipino nurses only earn around ₱40,381 per month while those from the other countries mentioned are earning at least ₱63,000.

Based on data from Economic Research Institute-powered company Salary Expert, nurses in other Southeast Asian countries earn the following rounded up figures per month:

• Singapore – ₱236,000
• Malaysia – ₱97,000
• Thailand – ₱83,000
• Indonesia – ₱79,000
• Vietnam – ₱63,200

In his Thursday presser, Roque said he was not sure if the information in the report was accurate but said the government already increased the benefits of medical health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic under the Bayanihan To Recover As One (Bayanihan 2) Act.

"Binigyan natin ng karagdagang allowance ang mga frontliners natin. Binigyan din natin sila ng libreng board at libreng life insurance. Meron din po silang libreng mga tests (We gave them an additional allowance, free lodging, life insurance, and free COVID-19 testing)," he said.

"Sa tingin ko, maganda naman yung package na binibigay natin ngayon sa mga frontliners (I think we have a good package for our medical frontliners)," he added.

"Pagdating po sa mga nurses sa gobyerno, ang solusyon po diyan ay siguro baguhin ang classification ng nurses sa salary standardization law (SSL) nang mailagay ang mga frontliners natin sa mas mataas na (When it comes to Filipino nurses, the solution there is to change the classification of nurses in the SSL so our frontliners can be placed under a higher) salary grade," he said.

Roque, meanwhile, urged private hospitals to also increase the salary nurses so they will not choose to work abroad.

"Ngayon po na maraming nurses ang gustong umalis, siguro naman ang mga pribadong ospital ay magbibigay ng mas mataas na sahod para ma-enganyo rin na manatili sa Pilipinas ang mga nurses (Now that many of our nurses want to leave the country, maybe private hospitals can give them a higher pay to entice them to stay)," he said.

The Philippines has imposed a deployment ban on Filipino nurses amid the COVID-19 pandemic to "ensure that the country's health care requirements are fully met."

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