Concerns rise as govt taps unlicensed nurses

Brain drain: Years of massive migration of Filipino health workers to foreign countries have exacerbated the shortage of workforce in the industry. — AFP

Hospitals here have been authorised to recruit unlicensed nurses to work as “critical care associates” as the country continues to grapple with a shortage of healthcare workers, especially nurses.

Tynna Eunice Pielago, 23, a recent nursing graduate from Cavite province, southwest of capital Manila, expressed her concerns about the government remedy, which she describes as “a band-aid solution” to the problem.“This would put healthcare quality at risk and add to the workload of the licensed nurses tasked to supervise the critical care associates,” she said.