(We yield this space to the statement of the United Private Hospital Union of the Philippines due to its timeliness. – Ed.)
A CONGRESSMAN is right on the money to ask the Department of Health (DOH) where our nurses are. Unfortunately, the answer to this puzzle is right under their noses – poor pay and benefits.
Nurses opt not to work in the healthcare sector because of the grim reality that entry-level pay, especially in the private sector, remains close to starvation wages. Private hospital nurses receive a paltry entry-level salary ranging from P15,000 to P20,000 while their counterparts in the public health sector earn a minimum of P35,000. This is why there are many nurses who just go for jobs in the call center industry for example, which offers more competitive pay scales than private hospitals and clinics.
Moreover, nurses are exposed to hazardous substances and viruses in private hospitals without the benefit of hazard pay. Healthcare workers in the public health sector receive hazard pay amounting to P9,000 per month, while those in the private health sector only receive P100 – P300 per month if they have a recognized union. At the end of the day, people will go for the job which is safer and could better provide for them and their families.
As the proposed lifting of the public health emergency looms, United Private Hospital Union of the Philippines (UPHUP) continues to demand the provision of compensation granted to healthcare workers as they continue to render services. Irrespective of the presence of COVID-19, healthcare workers remain vulnerable to various viruses, thus necessitating humane benefits.
Ultimately, what the government should do is enact a standardized salary pay scale for the healthcare sector, bridging the wage gap between public and private hospitals. Enact a Magna Carta for Health Workers that would ensure hazard pay for ALL health workers. Specifically for nurses, the Philippine Nursing Act should also be one of the top priorities of Congress.
In the upcoming State of the Nation Address, UPHUP calls for the President to put healthcare workers in his priority agenda for Congress. He must ensure that the country is protected by a robust health sector by ensuring adequate compensation and comprehensive benefits for workers in the industry.
Hindi kulang ng nurse. Kulang ang sweldo.
