Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque. FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang raised suggestions in adjusting the salaries of nurses from both public and private hospitals after a recent study showed the Philippines having the lowest salary rate for nurses and medical technologists in Southeast Asia.
“Kung ‘yan po ay mababa pa sa ating mga karatig na bansa, pagdating po sa mga nurses sa gobyerno, ang solusyon po diyan ay siguro baguhin ang classification ng nurses sa government standardization law–salary standardization law nang mailagay ang mga frontliners natin sa mas mataas na salary grade,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in an online briefing.
(If that is low compared to our neighboring countries, the solution when it comes to government nurses is to change their classification in the government standardization law—placing frontliners to a higher salary grade.)
“Sa pribadong sektor naman po ‘yan, ‘yan naman po ay nade-determine ng malayang merkado. Ngayon po na maraming nurses ang gustong umalis, siguro naman ang mga pribadong ospital ay magbibigay ng mas mataas na sahod para ma-enganyo rin na manatili sa Pilipinas ang mga nurses,” he went on.
(In the private sector, that is determined by the free market. Nowadays, many nurses want to go out of the country so perhaps private hospitals should offer higher salaries to entice them in staying here in the Philippines.)
Research by data aggregator iPrice Group said the Philippines is at the bottom of the Southeast Asian countries when it comes to compensation nurses and medical technologists.
Experienced nurses in the Philippines earn about P40,381 a month, 57 percent less than Vietnam which pays nurses the lowest next with about P62,000 a month.
Singapore offers the highest wage for nurses in Southeast Asia with about P236,000 monthly.
Medical technologists from the Philippines, meanwhile, earn around P29,444, still lower than Vietnam’s P57,000. Singaporean med techs earn P210,000 a month.