Militant lawmakers want salary upgrade for gov’t nurses

Militant party-list groups in the House of Representatives want the salaries of government nurses raised to ensure that new graduates stay put in state hospitals.

The seven party-list representatives led by Teodoro Casiño of Bayan Muna filed  House Bill 5230 or “Government Nurses’ Salary Upgrading Act of 2011.”

Casiño noted that government nurses currently receive  P15,649  monthly which is the pay of  Salary Grade 11 government workers  even though the law provides that they receive P24,887 or equal  to a Salary Grade 15.

The bill would ensure the upgrade in salary levels of nurses according to the Philippine Nursing Act. The salary upgrade would put state nurses at par with the starting salary of call center agents.

Casino said the bill would increase the incentives for nurses to stay and serve in public hospitals instead of going abroad or looking for higher paying jobs outside of their profession.

He said the bill should address the persistent shortage of nurses in government hospitals. Gil C. Cabacungan Jr.