Trillanes sounds alarm on looming PH nursing profession crisis Senator Antonio “Sonny” F. Trillanes IV filed a resolution, seeking investigation on the long-neglected plight of the nursing profession in the country. Under Proposed Senate Resolution No. 921, Trillanes noted that despite the large pool of nurses in the country, which continues to grow yearly, hundreds of thousands of them remain unemployed, if not underemployed. Further, many hospitals remain understaffed and ill-equipped to respond to the needs of the people for quality healthcare. According to the said resolution, instead of the ideal nurse to patient ratio of 1:4, this ratio balloons to 1:20 in many government hospitals. Worse, a nurse sometimes handles an average of 80 to 100 patients, like in the case of the National Mental Health Center. “This situation runs counter to the intentions of Republic Act No. 9173, or the Philippine Nursing Act of 2002, which sought to institute relevant nursing education, humane working conditions, better career prospects and a dignified existence for our nurses,” Trillanes, chairman of the Senate Committee on Civil Service and Government Reorganization, explained. Trillanes also condemned the exploitative practice of hospitals that employ “volunteer nurses” instead of hiring full-time nurses, who deserve job security and just compensation. “Although the Nursing Law of 2002 expressly mandates that the entry-level salary grade of registered nurses in government hospitals is Salary Grade 15 equivalent to a starting monthly salary of more than Twenty Thousand Pesos (P20,000.00), the Department of Budget Management said that the implementation of this provision would exhaust government resources and would cause wage distortion in the medical and allied positions, as well as other positions in the bureaucracy,” Trillanes elaborated. Trillanes added that this situation forces government hospitals to refuse filling up plantilla positions, and instead hire volunteer nurses who become reluctant victims of peculiar employment schemes. Based on reports, these volunteer nurses – who assume the full responsibilities of employed staff nurses, such as workload and shift duties, and do not receive the same rights and benefits accorded to staff nurse – ironically, are the ones paying the hospitals just to be trained and to gain relevant experience. “This illegal practice, despite being raised to authorities several times, persists in government hospitals. It is high time that the government address this long overdue neglect of the country’s nursing profession,” Trillanes emphasized.# Tagalog version: Trillanes nanawagan na bigyang aksyon ang lumalalang problema ng mga nars Naghain ng resolusyon si Senador Antonio “Sonny” F. Trillanes IV upang imbestigahan ang nakapanlulumong kalagayan ng mga nars sa bansa ngayon. Sa ilalim ng Proposed Senate Resolution No. 921, sinabi ni Trillanes na sa kabila ng malaki, at patuloy na lumalaking bilang ng mga nars sa bansa, marami pa rin ang nanatiling walang trabaho. Dagdag pa rito, marami sa mga ospital ang nagkukulang pa rin ng mga nars at mga kagamitan upang mapangalagaan ang kalusugan ng mga mamamayan. Ayon sa nasabing resolusyon, sa halip na magkaroon ng nararapat na 1:4 na ratio ng nars sa mga pasyente, ito ay umaabot sa 1:20; at kung mas malala pa, ang isang nars ay humahawak ng 80-100 na mga pasyente, tulad ng nangyayari sa National Mental Health Center. “Ang sitwasyong ito ay taliwas sa layunin ng Republic Act No. 9173, o ang Philippine Nursing Act of 2002, na mas mapatatag ang kurso ng nursing sa bansa, mabigyan sila ng maayos na sitwasyon sa trabaho, at ng mas malinaw na career at dignidad sa sarili,” ani Trillanes, tagapangulo ng Senate Committee on Civil Service and Government Reorgnization. Kinundina rin ni Trillanes ang mapang-abusong gawain ng mga ospital na kumuha ng mga boluntaryong nars, sa halip na kumuha ng full-time na mga nars na nararapat sa plantilla position at tamang pasahod. Paliwanag ni Trillanes, sa kabila ng pag-mandato ng Nursing Law of 2002 na gawing Salary Grade 15 o pasahod na di bababa sa Dalawampung Libong Piso ang entry-level ng mga kukuning nars sa bansa, sinabi naman ng Department of Budget and Management na ang pagpapatupad nito ay magiging malaking pabigat sa kaban ng bayan, maliban pa sa pag-sira nito sa sistema ng appointments at posisyon sa mga medical at allied na propesyon, at maging sa iba pang posisyon sa gobyerno. Dagdag pa ni Trillanes, ang sitwasyong ito ang nagtutulak sa mga pampublikong ospital upang hindi punuin ang mga plantilla positions at sa halip ay kumuha ng mga boluntaryong nars na madalas ay naaabuso sa uri ng pamamalakad ng mga ito. Base sa mga ulat, ang mga nasabing boluntaryong nars, na nagta-trabaho tulad ng mga empleyadong nars, ay siya pang nagbabayad sa mga ospital para lang makakuha ng training sa mga ito. “Dapat nang mahinto ang iligal na gawaing ito. May ilang beses na ring naparating ito sa mga otoridad ngunit patuloy pa ring nangyayari. Nararapat lang na solusyunan na ang lumalalang kalagayan ng ating mga nars,” giit ni Trillanes.#
Posted on: Sat, 27 Sep 2014 23:32:57 +0000