The Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) is requesting to conduct the nursing licensure examination in June to augment the country’s health workforce amid it’s ongoing fight against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Department of Health (DOH) Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that they are currently coordinating with the Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) and the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) to discuss the matter.
“Kausap natin ang PNA, kausap natin ang PRC. Ang isa na nga pong hiling, agahan na lang natin ang board exams nitong nurses (We are in talks with the PNA and PRC. There was a request to conduct the board exams for nurses at an earlier date),” said Vergeire in an online forum on Wednesday, May 5.
“I think it was scheduled in December. Nire-request natin at ng IATF baka pwede ng gawin ng June, so that by July may mga fresh graduates and freshly licensed nurses na tayo na pwede na rin nating makasama dito sa ginagawa nating response (We and the IATF are requesting to conduct it in June, so that by July we have fresh graduates and freshly licensed nurses who can also join in our response),” she added.
The Philippines’ current COVID-19 tally stood at 1,073,555, including 993,042 recoveries and 17,800 deaths.