By Robert B. Roque, Jr.
The last time I checked, the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines Inc. (PHAPi) said 40 percent of the nurses they employ have already resigned during this pandemic. Let’s not blame them. These nurses have done their duty to the sick, but they are too tired and gain too little to take care of their families, who are also vulnerable to this pandemic.
Nurses in government hospitals are doing worse. Many of them have already contracted the virus not just once and unwittingly took them home to their families. And the government has given all the excuses to justify its failure to provide them with their allowances. It’s a shame that even the World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific regional director had called on our government to provide adequate support to our healthcare workers.
At present, 75,000 nurses still stay on their jobs in both public and private hospitals for the nation to survive this battle against COVID-19. Because of the pandemic, they work under the harshest of conditions, putting in extra hours and doing their toilet affairs in their diapers throughout the day.
Roughly 109,000 more nurses are needed to operate nurse stations in hospitals throughout the archipelago, but even with the vacancies – who could expect them to bite? While our nurses have the innate desire to serve, they know they are placing themselves in harm’s way without the support and protection they need.
That’s why I won’t criticize the government for giving 5,000 of our nurses the green light to seek jobs abroad this year. It’s an opportunity for them to make better of the situation of their families here in these dark times and, of course, they contribute to the economy.
But the gains of their flight to greener pastures will not compensate for the plight of the overworked and underpaid members of their sector left in the country. And for that, the government must account for its preposterous failure to look after the benefits of our healthcare workers.
It’s not enough that a multi-million memorial is erected as a tribute to their selfless service to the COVID-sick population. Wherever they go in this world, our nurses will be hailed as heroes just the same. The difference is that other countries respect their rights to earn a decent living.
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