St. Luke’s Medical Center clarifies: Resignation of nurses ‘not at alarming levels’

Photo of St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City and in Bonifacio Global City. Screengrabbed from the St. Luke’s website

MANILA, Philippines — St. Luke’s Medical Center (SLMC) clarified on Friday that the number of nurses resigning from the hospital is “not at alarming levels.”

“St. Luke’s Medical Center would like to clarify that the number of nurses resigning is not at alarming levels as earlier reported,” the hospital management said in a statement.

This comes a day after SLMC Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer Benjamin Campomanes Jr. said in a radio interview that the hospital is facing manpower problems following the resignation of a number of nurses.

Campomanes said the number of nurses at the hospital has decreased as some went abroad to work while some are in quarantine after being exposed to COVID-19 patients.

For instance, he said the number of nurses at the emergency rooms of the hospital’s branch at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig has decreased to 43 from 66.

However, SLMC, in its statement, assured that it is addressing possible resignations even before the start of the pandemic.

“Even before the pandemic, we have been continuously hiring and training nurses for both hospitals to ensure that any resignation will be immediately addressed,” the hospital noted.

“Rest assured, SLMC is fully prepared to realign its workforce with the current demands to prevent any disruption of hospital services and patient care,” it added.

/MUF