PRC, Board of Nursing discuss 'temporary license' with Herbosa

Health Secretary Ted Herbosa on Friday met with the Philippine Regulation Commission (PRC) and the Board of Nursing after his plan to issue temporary licenses to nursing graduates who have yet to pass the Nursing Licensure Examination was met with criticism from the health community.

According to Herbosa, PRC Commissioners and the Board have expressed their support in finding legal ways to solve problems of manpower in the health industry.

“I met with the PRC Commissioners and the Board of Nursing and they understand my view and they are there to help me find solutions. There are still many options despite legal limitations which I understand,” Herbosa said in a statement.

“I also spoke with the Board of Nursing who thanked me for the Support for nurses, and they too have suggestions of how we can solve the problem of outward migration of Philippine nurses,’ he added.

Herbosa earlier said he wants to take in nursing graduates who scored 70% to 74% in the board exam to fill in the 4,500 vacant plantilla items for nurses in over 70 hospitals of the Department of Health (DOH) nationwide.

However, the PRC said there is no provision in the Philippine Nursing Act of 2002 that would legally allow the issuance of temporary licenses to nursing graduates who have yet to pass the Nursing Licensure Examination.

The Philippine Nurses Association and the Filipino Nurses United have also expressed disapproval of the proposal, saying the DOH should focus on hiring registered nurses instead given that around 120,000 of them are not currently working in the field of nursing.

To pass the Nursing Licensure Examination, an examinee must obtain a general average of at least 75% with a rating of not below 60% in any subject. —VAL, GMA Integrated News