SUCs urged to offer new nursing courses

MANILA, Philippines — The country’s state universities and colleges (SUCs) should now spearhead the offering of new Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) courses following the lifting of the 11-year Commission on Higher Education (CHED) ban.

“We are counting on SUCs that still do not offer the BSN program to be among the first to apply and comply with the requirements to establish new nursing schools,” Makati City Rep. Luis Campos Jr. said.

“Our sense is, the lure of free tuition and other fees will encourage many high school graduates to take up nursing once SUCs in the provinces roll out their new BSN programs,” he said in a statement.

Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr., who earlier urged President Marcos to replace CHED Chairman J. Prospero de Vera after he repeatedly refused to lift CHED’s 11-year ban on nursing programs, expressed satisfaction over the move.

“This is a welcome development. We are glad that finally they see and appreciate the need for new nurses as we go on with our lives in the post-COVID environment and under our so-called new normal,” the Cavite congressman said.

Barzaga was irate at CHED’s continued refusal to lift the nursing ban, which resulted in the detriment of their newly established Kolehiyo ng Lungsod ng Dasmariñas – the bailiwick of the Barzagas in Cavite province, Dasmariñas City.

He said the CHED is doing the country a “great disservice by continuing to ban new nursing programs, especially since the students of Kolehiyo ng Lungsod ng Dasmariñas do not pay any fee.”

“In Congress, we are prepared to support SUCs that will request for additional funding so that they can put up new nursing schools,” Campos said.

The lifting of the decade-long freeze on the opening of new BSN programs augurs well for the country. “New nursing schools will mean additional teaching and non-academic support jobs,” Campos pointed out.

“We also see the country producing a larger number of entry-level nurses in the years ahead, thus putting us in a stronger position to supply and fill both the domestic and global shortages of practitioners,” he said.

The Philippines is currently the largest supplier of migrant nurses in English-speaking countries such as the US and the UK.

The World Health Organization (WHO), in its State of the World’s Nursing report, has projected that without action, “there will be a shortfall of 4.6 million nurses worldwide by 2030.”

In the Philippines, the WHO said the shortfall of nurses is expected to be 249,843 by 2030, unless greater investment is made now to retain them in the local health sector.

HEIs can now apply and comply with the requirements to offer new BSN programs, according to De Vera.

The Professional Regulation Commission issued licenses to 11,094 registered nurses in 2021.

This is down sharply from the licenses issued by the PRC to 67,390 newly registered nurses in 2010, or the year before the CHED effectively halted the opening of new nursing programs.