"Pasukan na naman."
Millions of Filipino children are back to school; to public schools where the student to teacher ratio is more than 1:50 if we do not apply the double-shift system, where we still lack classrooms, chairs and books which the government denies, where teachers are underpaid and some of the best teachers turning into nurses, call center agents and caregivers and to private schools where tuition fees are "reasonably high" and miscellaneous fees are really 'miscellaneous' because you don't know where it goes and what is it for. Part of these comeback are the college hopefuls who made it out of the many of their peers that cannot go on.
And because of 'market demand', maybe almost half of the incoming freshmen students are to take up nursing (2006 figures pegged nursing students at 453,896). I have nothing against this profession but I would like to inform you of the facts.
Approximately, a nursing student has to shell out at at least P300,000 pesos to be able to finish his/her studies and to take all the necessary exams. Pero kung maswerte kang makakapagtrabaho sa ibang bansa gaya ng US, UK o Saudi Arabia, mababawi mo ang lahat ng gastos mo sa isang taon, may sukli ka pa. But that is if you can go out of the country.
I would just like to inform you that over the years demand for nurses have been steadily going down.
For example in 2001, a total of 13,822 nurses have been deployed whereas in 2006, it dropped to 8,528.
We can also see this in the top destinations for deployment of nurses.
For example, in Saudi Arabia which is the top employer of Filipino nurses hired 5,275 nurses in 2001. But in 2006 it dropped almost 50% with only 2,886 nurses. Take also the case of UK wherein the peak of hiring nurses was in 2001 where they employed 5,388 nurses but that dropped to a whooping 139 in 2006.
Just imagine the number of nursing students in 2006: 453,896. Not all of them are going to land in the nursing profession. Maybe some of them would become caregivers or nursing assistants or even call center agents. It's just sad that the 'service' aspect of nursing is overpowered by its 'profitability'. I just hope that these nurses who have already earned millions of pesos abroad that they will come back and put the 'service' aspect of nursing back in our health care system.
And to the students of nursing, there is nothing wrong with earning thousands of dollars abroad to help your families but I just do hope that you really like nursing not just for the sake of money.
Serve the Filipino People, Filipino Nurses.
Sources:
"Job outlook for Filipino nurses no longer as bright" by PURPLE ROMERO abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak 10 June 2008
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/images/news/newspics/abs/nursetable.jpg
www.poea.gov.ph
www.ncsb.gov.ph
3 komento:
alvin hello dennio! in fairness may point ka kaya nga lang may kasalanan din ang ating gobyerno dahil hindi sila nagbibigay ng sapat na pondo para sa health sector. paano naman gaganahang magtrabahao ang mga health professionals kung puro improvise na lang tayo at buti pa ang ibang mga bansa na dahil sa serbisyo ng mga Filipino nurses working abroad ay nag-dodonate,,,hindi rin tuloy masisisi kung bakit mas gustuhin nilang magrabaho sa ibang bansa,,,
Kumusta Denio?!
tama ka! may mga puntos ka. Pero di mo masisisi ang mga nursing graduates at mga teachers to go abroad or seek a more profitable industry like BPO or Call Center Industry dahil ito lang ang mga options ng trabaho sa 'tin na makakatustos sa pamilya o paraan para makatulong sa pamilya at mga magulang pagkatapos mag-aral lalo na't pataas ng pataas ang bilihin at gastusin sa bansa natin ngayon.
I would have to agree with their comments. Maraming opportunties ang government to help our nurses and teachers to stay but it all goes back to never ending discussion of political issues na medyo nakakasawa na.
Masakit aminin ang katotohanan. At the end of the day you (as a provider), wanted to bring food to the table. Kaya minsan kahit na hindi aligned sa natapos mo, as long as marangal naman ang trabaho, you opt to try another industry like call center/bpo. =)
Thanks for the visit and the comment =) I appreciate it very much. =)
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