Kabayan Party-list Rep. Ron Salo (Facebook)


Kabayan Party-list Rep. Ron Salo says the Department of Health (DOH) must prioritize hiring nursing licensure examination passers over non-passers amid plans to tap the latter due to the sheer shortage of personnel in government hospitals. In a recent statement, Salo underscored the importance of adopting certain conditions before granting temporary licenses to non-board passers. He recommended that the DOH prioritize board passers in its hiring and only consider granting temporary licenses to non-board passers once there is an actual insufficient number of qualified board passers available. "It is crucial for the DOH to prioritize board passers in granting these temporary licenses. Only after ensuring that there are no qualified board passers available that they proceed to consider non-board passers," said the veteran solon. Dr. Ted Herbosa--in one of his earliest pronouncements as the newly-installed DOH secretary--said floated plans to grant temporary licenses to nursing board takers who obtained scores between 70 and 74 percent. This is just below the passing score of 75 percent. Salo emphasized that the temporary license holders should still be required to take and pass the board exams within a specified time frame. He said this condition would ensure that they would meet the standards of the nursing profession and maintain the quality of healthcare services. As one of the primary authors of the Universal Health Care Law, Salo believes that this temporary solution will contribute in improving the accessibility of healthcare services. "I support Secretary Herbosa's proposal to offer temporary licenses to nursing board takers who achieved scores between 70 and 74 percent. This immediate action will provide us with additional manpower to support our healthcare system while we work on a sustainable solution for this matter," he stated. While acknowledging public concerns, he expresses confidence in the DOH's ability to provide adequate supervision in ensuring the competent performance of temporary nurses. "Although I understand the public's reservations regarding this solution, I am confident of the DOH’s ability to exercise proper oversight and to develop the necessary guidelines for temporary nurses to carry out their duties effectively," he said. "Besides, nursing students are allowed to assist in providing medical services to patients. How much more can we not allow them to serve the medical needs of our people when they’re already graduates, although they missed the mark? Because indeed, we need to expand the healthcare workforce to serve and meet the medical needs of a larger population," Salo said.