Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chairman Prospero De Vera on Tuesday, July 11 proposed immediate and long-term actions to deal with the shortage of Filipino nurses and overseas migration.
(Photo courtesy of Ali Vicoy/Manila Bulletin)
"The long-term action is that we have lifted the 10-year moratorium on creating new nursing programs. So, 54 universities applied to open nursing programs, and our estimate is that these 54 universities, once approved, can produce about 2,052 students by Academic Year 2027 to 2028," De Vera said in a televised Malacañang briefing.
Meanwhile, as part of its medium-term strategy, De Vera assured that students do not have to wait five to six years for more nurses as CHED has partnered with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority to create healthcare assistance and associates.
"The hospitals are saying that the nurses have too many tasks, that they are unable to focus on patient care. So we are working with the Private Sector Advisory Council in the Department of Health (DOH) to identify the tasks that nurses should not be doing anymore so they can focus on patient care," he said.
"You can produce it within a year or two years—so we will have a supplemental workforce to address the needs of our hospitals,” he added.
Meanwhile, De Vera said that the healthcare assistants and associates would not do any additional labor.
However, hospitals are in charge of rates, but CHED believes that it will be beneficial to the hospitals because the hospital nurses are overworked.
De Vera added that the CHED is also developing a fast-track master's program, noting the fact that many schools are unable to accommodate a large number of students due to a shortage of qualified teachers.
When asked how many are targeted to produce nurses, he responded that the number depends on the needs of the hospitals because it is hospital-based.
Lastly, for the immediate goal, CHED will hold special review classes for unlicensed nurses.
"Only about 50 percent of nursing graduates pass the licensure test. So, that's 50 percent of individuals, graduates, who have been trained in the hospital, have gone through the program, and are not nurses because they did not pass the licensure test,” De Vera said.
"So, we're working now with the Department of Health and the private hospitals and universities with very good track records in review classes. We will hold special review classes for those employed and in private hospitals as aides or assistants so that they can pass the licensure test and we can produce more graduates,” he added.
Moreover, CHED will assist them in passing the licensure examination or re-skill to become healthcare assistants or healthcare workers.
The first intervention is to help them prepare for the licensing exam so they can become nurses.
"We will provide grants to universities. A private hospital has stated that it will dispatch and pay for its employees who did not pass the licensure exam so they can pass," De Vera said.(Rhowen Del Rosario)