Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 11) — The government plans to develop a certificate or diploma program that will produce healthcare assistants in a relatively short time to ease the burden on nurses.
The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) on Tuesday said it is coordinating with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) on the program that could be completed in a year or two, and help augment hospital workforce.
“We’re working with TESDA to create what we call healthcare assistants and healthcare associates. You know, the hospitals are saying that the nurses have too many tasks that they are unable to focus on patient care,” CHED Chairperson Prospero De Vera told a Palace briefing.
He said they will also work with the Department of Health (DOH) and the Private Sector Advisory Council in identifying tasks that the aides could absorb so nurses can pay more attention to the overall quality of their service.
\”For example, ‘yung regular na pagkuha nung blood pressure, pagkuha ng temperature, pag-aayos ng pasyente [the regular taking of blood pressure and of temperature, assisting in taking care of the patient], those skills will be produced by a shorter program,\” De Vera said.
\”Many of the hospitals are now using health aides in their operations already. So, hindi naman siya bago na idea [So, it’s not a new idea],” he later told reporters.
Earlier, the CHED said it is also developing a shorter master’s program that would produce more nursing teachers.
According to De Vera, these \”medium-term\” plans were among the list of actions that the commission submitted to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to address the nursing shortage.
He also said that they plan to assist nursing graduates in passing their licensure test by holding special review classes.
\”In some of our good universities, we are giving them grants to give free review classes,\” De Vera said.
\”Siguro pag free, madaming pupunta [Perhaps if the classes are free, many will attend],\” he added. \”We’re tapping the universities with a very good track record in licensure tests.\”
He said they will negotiate with schools on the rates, and ask the DOH and private hospitals to help pay for their employees’ classes.
