End to volunteer nursing training program pressed
MANILA, Philippines — Three of the largest organizations of nurses in the country joined congressmen in assailing the continued government inaction to demands for an end to the volunteer nursing training program allegedly exploited by nearly all private and government medical institutions.
In a roundtable conference, the Nars ng Bayan, Philippine Nurses Association and Ang Nars also issued a strong appeal to the House of Representatives leadership to place in the list of legislative priorities House Bill 767 seeking to bar private and government hospitals and other medical institutions from recruiting nurses to volunteer in medical and nursing training programs without payment of salaries and allowances under the prevailing rates of their profession.
HB 767 is a measure re-filed by Laguna Rep. Edgar San Luis who lamented the near passage of the measure during the 14th Congress.
San Luis, together with Reps. Emmi de Jesus and Luz Ilagan of Gabriela, sponsored the roundtable discussion on the exploitative nursing volunteerism practices.
San Luis said government, through the Departments of Health and of Labor and Employment, has the moral obligation to look into the complaints of majority of the country’s over 280,000 nurses who are forced to do regular nursing jobs in hospitals without getting paid.
De Jesus and Ilagan are among the authors of House Resolution 861 strongly urging president Aquino to stop the practice of collecting training fees by public and private hospitals from professional and registered nurses.
A congressional investigation is also underway in connection with the said practice.
Nars ng Bayan president Eleanor M. Nolasco said Health Secretary Enrique Ona should heed their appeal for a halt to this illegal, unethical and exploitative practice at the same time provide employment opportunities for nurses with corresponding professional development and advancement programs.”
Nolasco noted that while the Aquino government followed the lead of the Arroyo government in giving nurses jobs through the rural service program, the salaries offered those recruited, pegged at P8,000 to P10,000, cannot be considered “just compensation” for the work they are required to do.
"Our nurses want to work and earn a living but they become forced volunteers. The certificates of training given them are not accepted for employment overseas,” complained Dr. Leah Primitiva G. Samaco, president of Ang Nars.
Print
EmailRecommended articles
- Drug rehab center to open in Valenzuela
- Peace agenda for Mindanao gathers momentum
- 2 fires hit Metro Manila
- 3 Makati frontline offices awarded ISO certification
- LTO chief welcomes charges
- NHA relocation gives priority to victims of East Triangle fire
- 2 senators, 4 journalists named 'Women of Essence'
- Council to probe 'illegal' operation of cell sites
- CNEX Forum: Cops using 'Miranda Doctrine' when making arrests -- PNP
Comments
This is worst than slavery!! At least with slavery, the slave owners fed and clothed the slaves! To make matters worse, the volunteer has to pay registration or training expenses, I assume?
Also, by having volunteers do the nursing jobs that are done normally by paid nurses means curtailing these nurse's ability to earn a living or at least, diminish their hours.
In my opinion, if a person has been educated and has undergone the praticum of nursing, they should not be asked to volunteer, private or public!
I offer a solution:
For both private and public sector, upon employing a "volunteer", that person/s shall be compensated 50% of the going rate for that particular nursing position. Upon completition of 3 or 4 weeks traiing, the employer shall provide written assesment of the worked performed by that volunteer.
If the volunteer is deemed employable, then the employer shall provide :
- written recommendation of employment
- or assist the volunteer for finding employment;
- or provide employment for that volunteer if vacancy is available
If the volunteer does meet the employers standards, the employer must provide those reasons in writing with recommendations for improvement.
Finally, no agency public or private enterprise are allowed to utilize services of the volunteers greater than half of one percent of annual nursing hours required to run their facilities.
Besides, we need to teach these new recruits to value of a hard earn money. By providing them with salaries/compensatition should enable them to think about budgeting for expenses incurred while performing a job. Also, it will assist the parents/relatives of these people of providing full financial aide which in some cases, a negating factor of the candidate to pursue their dreams because money has ran out.
We should assist these potential assets who someday may go overseas to earn money which they in turn, provide assistance to their relatives!
Maybe another solution is for the goverment to fund these initiatives and collect revenue from nurses who has gone overseas by taxing them? If this is used, then only publicly funded facilities may use volunteers.
Let's stop the slavery instead assists these new recruits by training them to become full time and gainfully employed future assets of this country!
Please login or register to post comments.