The policy of the Philippine government regarding the sending of Filipino nurses overseas is negatively affecting other healthcare profession in the country. This is what Dr.Erlinda Castro–Palaganas adviser of the Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) Baguio City chapter said during the celebration of the celebration of the International Nurses Day last month.

According to Dr. Palaganas, the government needs to stop or at least do something about the current migration policy of Filipino nurses. She said, “This policy is basically the reason why we have the mushrooming of nursing colleges which somehow lowers the standard of nursing education in the country.”

She also said that the present nursing curriculum in the country should be reviewed by the PNA as this can also be a reason why many nurses chose to work abroad.

According to Palaganas, the nursing curriculum now is commercialized, curative oriented, and western oriented, so many nursing graduates are not focus on serving the Filipino people.

She said, “I am not saying that we are blaming them, as if we also look at the present situation our nurses also have lesser opportunity here, such as on their working condition and economic (financial) stability.”

Palaganas also informed that the demand for Filipino nurses overseas is expected to wane in the coming years as many host countries started training their own nurses so soon they won’t need to export foreign nurses.