The Philippine government is allotting 249 million pesos for the successful implementation of the Registered Nurses for Health Enhancement and Local Service (RN Heals), a project that aims to ease or solve the unemployment and underemployment of nurses in the Philippines.

According to reports, President Aquino instructed the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to allot the said amount to the RN Heals program. This project of the Department of Health would deploy qualified nurses and midwives to all local health facilities.

The Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said that the Php249 million fund is part of the Php72 billion fund that is allotted to drive economic growth this year. The budget was approved by the Aquino administration.

In a statement, Abad said, “The P294-million fund release is for the deployment of not only qualified nurses but also midwives to create a pool of registered health professionals with enhanced clinical and public health competencies towards the improvement of health care services delivery in the country."

He also added that RN Heals is aligned with the government’s commitment towards the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, particularly in improving maternal health and reducing child mortality rates.