A party-list lawmaker proposed to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to design an Associate in Health Sciences two-year program to be piloted in some state universities and colleges (SUCs) that already have strong health professions programs.
BHW Representative Angelica Natasha Co said this two-year program would help barangay health workers (BHW) eventually attain civil service eligibility and job security.
“I also expressed to CHED my long-term vision for barangay health workers which includes having a new generation of BHWs who are regular government employees.”
“I also expressed to CHED my long-term vision for barangay health workers which includes having a new generation of BHWs who are regular government employees,” Co said.
The legislator said when the two-year program is in place, the Civil Service Commission and Department of Budget and Management can develop the qualification standards (QS), of which the educational qualifications are essential; as well as the plantilla positions and salary grades for BHWs who are graduates of the proposed course.
“This is why I am asking the CHED, University of the Philippines, and the Department of Health to initiate soon the technical work on the details,” the lady lawmaker said.
She said CHED should look at offering different types of nursing courses aside from the BS Nursing (BSN) program leading to the Registered Nurse (RN) professional license.
“In other countries, there are different kinds of nurses, not just registered nurses.”
“I make this suggestion because in other countries there are different kinds of nurses, not just RNs,” Co noted.
“The wide gap in wages between nurses in government and nurses in the private sector must also be squarely addressed,” she added.
Co also proposed an emergency medical technician (EMT) track in the two-year course so the local government units and barangays can have EMTs in their disaster response departments.
She welcomed the decision of the CHED to lift the moratorium on nursing programs, as it will address the local and global needs for nurses.
