The Department of Health (DOH) should prioritize the hiring of unemployed nurses, Sen. Maria Lourdes Nancy Binay said on Tuesday, June 20.                                   Sen. Nancy Binay (Senate PRIB Photo) Binay made the suggestion in light of Health Secretary Teodoro “Ted” Herbosa’s plan to allow non-board passers to practice nursing in government hospitals in order to address the shortage of nurses in the Philippines. According to Binay, the DOH should first discuss the matter with lawmakers so that Congress can help craft a law that would help alleviate the plight of nurses in the country. “Ang pinaka-praktikal ay i-prioritize nating i-hire ang mga (The most practical for us to do is to prioritize the hiring of all) unemployed nurses; provide a certain level of care, respect, and compassion to our overworked nurses currently serving our public hospitals,” Binay said. “(We should also) review, amend and offer better paying contracts to our nurses; provide better benefits, and rationalize their work loads,” the senator added. “Sila ang backbone ng (They are the backbone of our) healthcare system, and it is only fair to protect our essential workforce and reasonably compensate them,” Binay stressed. Binay said it would be more practical for the government to use the budget that would be used to hire non-board passers for the currently employed nurses. “At kung seryoso ang DOH na ayusin ang buong sistema, punan ang gap, at gawing competitive ang sahod ng ating  (And if the DOH is serious about fixing the whole system, fill the gaps, and make competitive the salaries of our) healthcare workers, we, in the Senate, are willing to provide the necessary tools and budget to improve the state of our public health,” the lawmaker stressed. She said the current shortage of nurses in the country’s public hospitals is already a given, that is why the government was urged to tapped fresh nursing graduates and those who just finished taking the board examinations during the height of the global Covid-19 pandemic. This was to help medical frontliners who lacked sleep and are over-fatigued find relief and some rest. “Bago mag-tap ang DOH ng (Before the DOH taps) unlicensed or board-eligible nurses as a temporary solution to address the shortage, dapat muna may masusing pag-aaral. Kailangan pakinggan muna natin ang kanilang sektor (there should be a thorough study first. We need to also hear the side of those in their medical sector),” she said. “Magkaroon muna ng mas malalim at malawak na konsultasyon, kasama na ang (Let’s first have a deeper and broader consultation, together with) allied sectors in the medical field,” added Binay. “Pero sana makita muna nating ilatag ng DOH ang malinaw at kongkretong programa sa mga ospital (But first, we hope to see the DOH lay out a clear and concrete program for our hospitals), as far as alleviating the plight of health care workers is concerned,” she stressed.