A Makati City lawmaker seeks the setting up of a P1-billion special education fund) meant to enable state universities and colleges (SUCs) to put up their own nursing schools in a bid to produce more nurses in the country.
Makati Rep. Luis Campos Jr. filed House Resolution No. 1510, urging the Committees on Appropriations, Health, and High and Technical Education to look into the viability of establishing a Nursing Education Support Fund that would bankroll the creation of new nursing colleges in 73 SUCs that have no nursing course in their academic platforms.
“Empowering more SUCs to produce highly qualified BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) graduates will boost the capability of the Philippines to supply both the domestic and global demand for nurses in the years ahead,” Campos said.
“This in turn will benefit our public health care system and the economy as well, considering that highly paid Filipino nurses in America and Britain are among the biggest providers of cash remittances to their families here at home,” he added.
Out of the 117 SUCs nationwide, only 44 have nursing schools. Rio N. Araja
Of the eight SUCs in Metro Manila, only one – the University of the Philippines Manila – offers the BSN program, Campos noted.
We have entire regions where not a single SUC offers the BSN program,” he said.
Campos cited the Davao and Caraga regions which have 10 SUCs combined, but not one of them has a nursing school.
“We also have whole island-provinces, such as Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Romblon, Guimaras, Bohol, and Siquijor, where existing SUCs do not offer the BSN program,” he said.
The shortfall of nurses in the Philippines is expected to reach 249,843 by 2030, unless more investments are made now to retain them in the local health sector, according to the World Health Organization.
