MANILA, Philippines — Labor chief Silvestre Bello III on Friday appealed to private hospitals to give their nurses and health workers higher compensation amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
“I appeal to these hospitals that they should consider a higher compensation knowing the value of the services of nurses and medical workers,” Bello said over Teleradyo, reacting to complaints of overworked and underpaid nurses in the Philippines.
He reiterated that he has been criticizing private hospitals over the low salaries of their health workers.
“Unang una, I agree na underpaid ang nurses at medical workers. I have been strongly criticizing yung hospitals, private hospitals natin na ang lalaki ng kita nila, mga five-star hospitals ‘yan. Makita mo yung buildings nila talagang modernong moderno pero ang sweldo ng nurses hindi lumalampas ng P18,000 a month,” Bello said.
(I agree that nurses and medical workers are underpaid. I have been strongly criticizing hospitals, private hospitals that have money, especially the five-star hospitals. You can see their modernized buildings but nurses’ salary does not increase P18,000 a month.)
Some nurses would even pay for their training fee just to work for a hospital, Bello added.
“In some instances, may mga nurses tayo na naka-graduate na as nurses, nakapasa na sa board examination and yet sila pa ang nagbabayad ng hospital para makapagtrabaho dun. Why? because they (hospitals) claim they (nurses) have to undergo training that is why they have to pay training fees,” he said.
(In some instances, there are nurses who have passed board exams and yet they are the ones who will pay the hospital just to work there. Why? Because hospitals claim that nurses have to undergo training that is why they have to pay training fees.)