IN light of the shortage of nurses in the country and the world, the chairman of the House Committee on Health on Monday called on the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to lift the moratorium on the opening of new programs in nursing.
In her privilege speech, Quezon Rep. Angelina Tan, citing the World Health Organization report, “State of the World’s Nursing 2020,” said without action, there will be a shortfall of 4.6 million nurses worldwide by 2030.
In the Philippines, she said the projected shortfall of nurses is expected to be 249,843 by 2030, unless greater investment is made now to retain them in the Philippine health sector.
“Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, a global shortage of nurses was already projected,” she added, as the Covid-19 pandemic put the need for nurses into sharp relief.
Tan, a registered nurse before becoming a medical professional, has also urged the leadership of the House of Representatives to revisit the moratorium as contained in CHED Memorandum Order No. 32, which was issued in 2010.
CHED imposed the moratorium on the opening of all undergraduate and graduate programs on nursing and four other courses effective school year 2011-2012 because of the proliferation of colleges offering undergraduate and graduate programs; and due to a gradual decline in the performance of nursing education graduates, which indicates the worsening state of the program.
“The role of nurses in our health care system cannot be overemphasized, not only in delivering quality health care but as well as in achieving our Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” she said.
They make critical contributions to the achievement of national and global targets related to a range of health priorities, including universal health care, mental health and communicable and noncommunicable diseases, emergency preparedness and response, patient safety, and the delivery of integrated, people-centered care,” Tan explained.
She also said pre-Covid-19 pandemic data reveals that the world does not have a global nursing workforce commensurate with the universal health coverage and SDG targets.
“Given this backdrop and how it will potentially impact our health care system, I believe that now is the most opportune time for CHED to assess the relevance of CMO No. 32. In fact, this representation is urging the Commission on Higher Education to allow other higher educational institutions to open new nursing programs to enable us to produce more nurses,” Tan said.