Raffy Tulfo proposes full scholarship, equal hazard pay for nurses

"[It’s] because of the lack of opportunities in our country," Dr. Anthony Leachon, former adviser to the country’s pandemic task force, told Philstar.com over the phone earlier this month.

AFP / Paolo Miranda

MANILA, Philippines — To address the continuing exodus of Filipino nurses, a lawmaker has proposed the granting of full scholarships to qualified students in exchange for staying in the country after graduation.

At the Senate Committee on Health and Demography's hearing Tuesday, Sen. Raffy Tulfo said that scholars could be required to serve in government hospitals for up to five years.

Tulfo also asked representatives of the Department of Health to address reports of discrimination that Filipino nurses are facing in the workplace, including the selective grant of benefits such as hazard pay, saying he learned that only the nurses who were exposed to COVID-19 patients or were assigned to the COVID-19 wards were eligible for hazard pay.

Full Story: https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2022/10/12/2216138/raffy-tulfo-proposes-full-scholarship-equal-hazard-pay-nurses