Nurses organizations cry foul over training charges

Nurses organizations in the country haves joined lawmakers in criticizing the practice of collecting fees from nursing students doing volunteer work in government and private hospitals.

At a conference at the House of Representatives last week, the Nars ng Bayan, Philippine Nurses Association and Ang Nars called on the leadership of the House of Representatives to expedite the passage of legislation that would bar private and government hospitals and other medical institutions from recruiting nurses to volunteer in medical and nursing training programs without payment of salaries and allowances.

Lawmakers, including Reps. Emmi de Jesus and Luz Ilagan of Gabriela, said the government, through the Departments of Health and of Labor and Employment, have the moral obligation to look into the complaints of nurses who are forced to do regular nursing jobs but are not being paid.

The lawmakers said there are around 280,000 nurses who have been victims of such unscrupulous practice.

De Jesus and Ilagan are among the authors of House Resolution 861 strongly urging President Aquino to stop the practice of collecting training fees by public and private hospitals from professional and registered nurses.

What is more ironic, sources from one of the government hospitals said millions of pesos collected from these training fees have been missing and unaccounted for at the Philippine Children’s Medical Center.

The sources added the funds had been collected by an association of nurses in the same hospital and are being deposited in a private account. The lawmakers said a congressional investigation is in order.

Nars ng Bayan president Eleanor Nolasco said Health Secretary Enrique Ona should heed their appeal for a halt to this illegal, unethical and exploitative practice.

Nolasco noted while the Aquino government followed the lead of the Arroyo government in giving nurses jobs through the rural service program, the salaries offered those recruited, pegged at P8,000 to P10,000, cannot be considered “just compensation” for the work they are required to do.

“Our nurses want to work and earn a living but they become forced volunteers. The certificates of training given them are not accepted for employment overseas,” Dr. Leah Primitiva Samaco, president of Ang Nars, said.

In a statement read by PNA president Teresita Irigo-Barcelo, the nurses’ organization said the labor department should also look into the plight of nurses who are asked to pay for volunteer work in hospitals without salaries and other benefits and without “employee-employer relationship.”

“Hence, there is no legal protection for volunteer nurses. Worse, some hospitals cover themselves from any legal problems by calling their scheme as ‘training program,’” Barcelo said.

According to Barcelo, many nurses volunteer to pay for such training programs in the hope it would bolster their chances of landing jobs abroad.  –Gerry Baldo, Daily Tribune