Nursing students of Centro Escolar University wait for the start of the capping and pinning ceremony at the World Trade Center in Pasay City in September 2022. (File photo by RICHARD A. REYES / Philippine Daily Inquirer)
MANILA, Philippines — Quezon City Rep. Marvin Rillo on Sunday urged high school graduates nationwide to take up nursing in college for a “stable and lucrative occupation in the years ahead,” citing the country’s likely shortage of nearly 250,000 nurses by 2030.
Rillo’s House Bill No. 5276, which aims to raise from P36,619 to P63,997 the entry-level monthly pay of nurses in public hospitals, is under scrutiny at the committee level of the House of Representatives.
In encouraging high school graduates to pursue a degree in Bachelor of Science in Nursing, the lawmaker cited the World Health Organization’s State of the World’s Nursing 2020 report, which projected a shortfall of 4.6 million nurses worldwide by 2030.
“Nurses are in great demand while the supply is short, so we would urge both male and female high school graduates to consider taking the nursing career path,” Rillo said.
The Department of Health informed a House committee last month that the Philippines currently has a shortage of 127,000 nurses.