Scholarship, return program eyed to solve nurses shortage

A party list lawmaker on Sunday pushed for the passage of a measure offering nursing scholarships and creating a return service program to address the country’s shortage of registered nurses.

Anakalusugan party list Rep. Ray Reyes said his House Bill No. 6631, or proposed Nursing Scholarship and Return Service Program Act, would provide a “win-win solution” to boost the number of active registered nurses in the country and possibly reduce their exodus for bigger opportunities abroad.

“Our proposed scholarship scheme will definitely help those who wish to take up nursing in college and pursue it as a profession. The return service program, meanwhile, will develop our health-care human resource to meet the needs of our citizens and ensure the adequacy of registered nurses in the country,” Reyes said.

“The low number of active registered nurses in the country is also a cause for alarm. This is another issue that we need to address aside from the exodus of our nurses abroad,” he added.

He noted that based on data from the Professional Regulatory Commission, as of March 24, 2023, only 53.55 percent of the 951,105 registered nurses in the country are active. In October last year, the Department of Health estimated a shortage of 106,000 nurses in the country.

“The government must ensure that there is an adequate amount of health-care workers at any given moment, in any municipality or community in the country. Additionally, the health and welfare of these health-care workers must also be a priority,” Reyes said.

In filing HB 6631, Reyes said he was looking to “strike two birds with one stone by giving our aspiring nurses a chance at education and growth paired with regularized and secured positions during their service.” INQ