Cynthia Villar backs pay hike for nurses

Senator Cynthia Villar on Sunday backed the increase in the salary of nurses working in government health institutions, saying it is only through higher compensation that students will be encouraged to pursue the profession.

Villar made the remark after the Supreme Court upheld the validity of a legal provision that sets the basic pay for nurses in the public sector to Salary Grade 15, or about P30,000 a month.

In an interview on Dobol B sa News TV aired on GMA News TV, Villar lamented the "shortage" of nurses working in the country.

"Nagrereklamo na ang mga government hospitals that they are short of nurses kasi kakaunti na ang nag-aaral ng nursing," she said.

In order to address this issue, the government should encourage young people to take up nursing, and it can only be done if they are assured that they will have sufficient earnings in the profession, Villar said.

"Mae-encourage natin 'yan kung well-compensated sila sa trabaho nila," she said.

"Very supportive tayo sa mga nurses kasi frontliner natin 'yan e. In fact, sa mga probinsiya, kapag may kulang na mga doctors, 'yung nurses natin ang maaasahan natin," she added.

Villar said the salary augmentation for nurses can be allocated from unprogrammed funds.

"You have to limit yourself sa allocated sa (Department of) Health. Pero malaki ang allocated sa Health. Sometimes, kumukuha sila sa unprogrammed accounts. Doon siguro ang pagkukunan nito," she said.

In 2013, Villar drew criticism after she said in a GMA senatorial debate that nursing students need not finish their degrees as they only wanted to become "room nurses" abroad.

"Hindi naman kailangan na ganoon sila kagaling," she said.

Villar has since apologized for her remark. —Erwin Colcol/KG, GMA News