Push Admin

New DOH chief: We need to pay our nurses correctly

Article (news)

ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Members of the Filipino Nurses United parade along Padre Faura to the Philippine General Hospital in Manila on Wednesday, April 12, 2023, for its 3rd National Congress with the theme " Advancing="" Rights="" and="" Welfare="" for="" better="" service="" to="" the="" The="" group="" reiterated="" its="" call="" wage="" increase="" a="" living="" of="" massive="" hiring="" address="" regularized="" contractual="" employment="" such="" as="" Nurse="" Deployment="" Program.="" Maria="" ABS-CBN="" News="" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/entertainment/04/12/20230412-filipino-nurses-united-parade-mt15-s.jpg"/><figcaption>Members of the Filipino Nurses United parade along Padre Faura to the Philippine General Hospital in Manila on Wednesday, April 12, 2023, for its 3rd National Congress with the theme &quot; Advancing Nurses&#x27; Rights and Welfare for better service to the People.&quot; The group reiterated its call for nurses&#x27; wage increase to a living wage of P50,000.00, massive hiring to address understaffing, and regularized contractual employment such as the Nurse Deployment Program. <em>Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA — The new secretary of the Department of Health on Thursday vowed to provide better working conditions for Filipino health-care workers.</p><p>&quot;We need to pay them correctly and our nurses are the best in the world. How do I know that?... They&#x27;re being asked by Presidents of other countries. They should be serving the Filipino people,&quot; Health Secretary Teodoro &quot;Ted&quot; Herbosa told ANC&#x27;s &quot;Headstart&quot;.</p><p>He said he would work to give nurses a competitive salary and encourage them to stay in the Philippines.</p><p>&quot;The right for better life is embodied in our Constitution. If a nurse wants to go abroad to get a salary that I cannot give, I shouldn&#x27;t stop that person because what I should look at is why I&#x27;m not able to pay the same amount so that they can be here in their own country, in their own family, enjoy the beautiful islands of the Philippines. So I will search for the solution of what will make them stay,&quot; Herbosa said.</p><p>The new DOH chief earlier vowed to stop the exodus of the country&#x27;s medical workers.</p><p>He added he would ensure health-care workers would receive their benefits, lauding them for sacrifices especially during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.</p><p>In the interview, Herbosa disclosed he also plans to open up thousands of unfilled positions for nurses at the DOH for those who have yet to get their licenses.</p><p>He said there are 4,500 vacancies for nurses at DOH alone.</p><p>&quot;We have several nurses that don&#x27;t pass the board examinations and doesn&#x27;t have a license. In government, you can&#x27;t work without a license but I&#x27;m willing to take them if they have a diploma,&quot; he said.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/07/23/new-health-chief-says-to-address-brain-drain">New Health chief says to address &#x27;brain drain&#x27;</a></li></ul><p>Herbosa took his oath as DOH chief Tuesday.</p><p>He served as a DOH undersecretary from 2010 to 2015 and was the regional director of the department&#x27;s National Capital Region office. He was also a special adviser to the National Task Force Against COVID-19 during the height of the pandemic.</p><p>Prior to his appointment, Herbosa was also a professor at the College of Medicine in the University of the Philippines Manila, and served as UP System&#x27;s executive vice president from 2017 to 2021.</p><p>Herbosa&#x27;s appointment as health secretary came after almost a year that the post had been vacant since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assumed the presidency.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/08/23/doh-chief-apologizes-for-things-i-have-said-before">DOH chief apologizes for &#x27;things I have said before&#x27;</a></li></ul><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2656639" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

The new secretary of the Department of Health on Thursday vowed to provide better working conditions for Filipino health-care workers.