A registered nurse while on duty (Photo courtesy of the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte)
MANILA – The shortage of nurses could not be considered a “crisis” to support a suggested plan of issuing temporary licenses to nursing graduates who did not pass the board exam, the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) said Monday.
PRC Commissioner Jose Cueto Jr. said the Medical Act of 1959 is the only law with a provision that can back Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa’s plan to release temporary licenses to fill the 4,500 nursing positions in public hospitals nationwide.
“It says for medical graduates who have not yet taken or passed the physician licensure exam in times of national emergencies. It is specific that it will be the Secretary of Health, but usually issuing or granting of special permits to professionals is a mandate under the Professional Regulation Commission’s authority,” Cueto said in a television interview over CNN.
Cueto cited as best examples of national emergencies the Covid-19 pandemic and the Super Typhoon Yolanda in Tacloban City in 2013.
Public hearings are ongoing to amend the Medical Act of 1959 to address current related issues, he said.
Earlier, the PRC said there was no provision in the Philippine Nursing Act or Republic Act 9173 that allows them or any government agencies to issue temporary licenses to nursing graduates who failed the licensure examination.
Section 21 of the law states that a special or temporary permit may only be issued to licensed nurses from foreign countries or states who are well-known specialists, foreign licensed nurses whose services are for a medical mission, or foreign licensed nurses employed by schools as exchange professors. (PNA)
