By: Samuel Pimping
The Philippines is the leading exporter of nurses globally, and around 15,000 to 20,000 professionals migrate per year. However, as of late 2022, we lack 106,000 nurses according to Department of Health (DOH) officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire.
This healthcare brain drain (depletion of professionals due to migration) has been an issue for many years now—a problem which the pandemic only aggravated. Why do so many of our much-needed nurses prefer to work overseas?
The answer is obvious. Low compensation, inadequate benefits, unreasonable workload, and poor working conditions are all factors in the recurring exodus that so afflicts our nation.
Our nurses are hailed as heroes but are paid like paupers. Entry-level registered nurses (RN) in private hospitals earn a monthly average of ₱8,000 to ₱13,500 according to the Department of Labor and Employment. Their US counterparts typically earn more than ₱200,000 in the same period.
As for a Philippine mid-level RN, based on 2020 figures, they can earn around ₱40,380, the lowest salary in the ASEAN region. For comparison, similar nurses in Hong Kong make around ₱274,811 per month.
Our nurses are nowhere near being given the deserved treatment due to our deficient healthcare system. Until now, many healthcare workers (HCW) have not yet even received their accumulated Special Risk Allowance and One COVID Allowance.
Despite the local industry’s lackluster, Philippine RNs are globally competitive. They are internationally renowned for their services abroad, especially in the Middle East, Europe, and the US. As frontliners, their role is crucial in any healthcare system.
When my grandmother underwent chemotherapy, a nurse had always handled intravenous procedures without issue. The one time a doctor did the procedure himself and made a mistake, it resulted in my grandmother experiencing acute pain and having to take morphine for over a week. Since then, my aunt had taken extra caution in ensuring that an RN would be the one handling the injections.
The point is—our nurses are indispensable. No amount of nobility or patriotism can inspire frontliners to keep fighting without regard for their families’ needs. For so long, putting loved ones first is why Filipino HCWs have always sought more lucrative opportunities abroad. Many have also considered working in other industries instead for the same reason.
In an effort to hinder the mass migration of Filipino RNs, especially during the pandemic, the government resorted to enforcing a yearly deployment cap that bars them from applying for work abroad once the quota (currently 7,500) is reached.
However, how can a citizen be restricted from seeking opportunities elsewhere for their livelihood? A deployment cap breaches a person’s freedom and is definitely not a long-term solution to address the country’s shortage of frontliners.
If the problem is not resolved and no substantial change to the healthcare system occurs, the World Health Organization predicts that the shortfall of nurses is expected to be 249,843 by 2030.
The most viable solution? Give frontliners more competitive compensation by reforming entry-level wages in both public and private hospitals. Provide decent benefits, and ensure nurses’ regularization so that they may be incentivized to stay. Plus, aim to maintain a manageable nurse-to-patient ratio to prevent burnout and protect HCWs’ well-being.
Filipino Nurses United (FNU) is the national organization fighting for nurses’ rights and welfare. Currently, the most notable legal development that FNU advocates is House Bill No. 3648 or the Comprehensive Nursing Act. It calls for a minimum base pay of ₱50,000, reasonable benefits, and the prohibition of contractualization.
Indeed, changes to the healthcare system must be instituted as soon as practicable so that one day, frontliners will no longer have to choose between putting their family first or serving the lives of their compatriots.
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