Lawmaker bats for better pay for Filipino nurses, investments in health sector

A CONGRESSMAN on Thursday raised concerns over the inadequate pay of Filipino nurses, prompting many to practice overseas rather than in the Philippines, as the country faces a growing shortage of nurses.

“We are not paying our new nurses enough to encourage them to practice their profession,” Quezon City Rep. Marvin D. Rillo said in a statement. “We must invest more in our nurses if we want to retain some of them in the local health sector.”

Many Filipino nurses have decided to pursue a career unrelated to medical practice, with some opting to work as “real estate agents, insurance agents, or car sales agents” and enter business process outsourcing companies, according to Mr. Rillo, a vice-chairperson of the House of Representatives higher education panel.

“Largely due to the pressure to survive, some of them will likely try to seek immediate employment, even if it means taking on other jobs and not practicing nursing,” he said.

Bills seeking to increase the entry-level pay of government nurses have been filed at the Philippine Congress, with the proposals pending in the House of Representatives appropriations panel and Senate civil services committee.

The congressman also said the country is facing a nurse shortage due to fewer graduates from nursing schools and “nonstop overseas migration.”

The World Health Organization in 2020 pressed the Philippine government to provide “greater investments” into the country’s health sector as the country faces a possible 250,000 nurse shortage by 2030.

Philippine schools produced about 37,000 new nurses in 2024, which dwarfs in comparison to the average 63,800 nurses the country produced annually a decade ago, according to Mr. Rillo.

Federation of Free Workers President Jose Sonny G. Matula earlier told ����ý demand for healthcare workers would further rise this year as global health challenges underscored the need for more robust healthcare systems, increasing the need for professionals. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio