Stressing the roles of nurses during a public health crisis like the Covid-19 pandemic, Rizal 4th District Rep. Fidel Nograles on Sunday, Sept. 4, vowed to address the issues surrounding their pay hike and the wage disparity between public and private nurses.
In a statement, the lawmaker promised that Congress would help President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. in fulfilling his promises to the nurses when he attended the 100th anniversary of the Philippine Nurses Association, Inc. recently.
Nograles said Congress must work closely with the executive branch to improve the working conditions of nurses.
“Makakaasa ang bansa na makikipagtulungan tayo sa Pangulo upang mapatotoo ang matagal nang inaasam ng ating mga nurse na mapabuti ang kalagayan nila, pangunahin na ang pagpapataas ng kanilang sahod (The country can expect that we will work with the President to realize the long-awaited dreams of our nurses to improve their working conditions, especially increasing their salaries),” he added.
The lawmaker, who chairs the House Committee on Labor, also wants to address the wage disparity between nurses in the public and private sectors after noting that entry-level nurses in public hospitals get P35,000 monthly, while private nurses only receive P12,000 a month.
Nurses in the provinces reportedly receive lower wages and even less benefits.
READ: Marcos admits nurses’ benefits are not enough, vows to address concerns
“We in the legislative will look at how we can intervene to establish a better working environment for our nurses,” Nograles said, lamenting that as much as the Philippines has a lot of nurses, the health institutions still suffer.
“We have to find out what we can do to avoid such impasse, and avoid crippling our healthcare system because our nurses do not wish to work here,” the lawmaker added.
However, the solon recognized that the private sector cannot afford the same pay as government hospitals pay their healthcare workers, and that passing a law mandating them to do it won’t address the issue.
Such disparity, which has gone on for years, is pushing nurses to seek better employment opportunities abroad, Nograles said.
“We have seen during the height of the pandemic how this can be a problem, with our nurses refusing to work here despite increased demand as their salaries are not commensurate to the service they render, especially during a public health crisis where such service can endanger their lives and that of their families,” the lawmaker added.
Nograles expressed hope that Congress could find a “workable solution” that all stakeholders could be satisfied with.