Fifteenth Congress
First Regular Session,

HOUSE BILL No. 4348

Introduced by Honorable Augusto Boboy Syjuco, Ph.D.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This bill secks to mandate all public and private hospitals to provide a three
(3) year free training program for newly-licensed nurses.

Carpe diem, seize the day! This is apparently the mantra of some hospitals
nationwide in exploiting the oversupply in manpower resources of our nurses. The
Philippine Nurses Association raises the issue about this seemingly helpless
situation of newly-licensed nurses who wish to complete three (3) year hospital
training. After rigid studies in school, nurses have to undergo actual job training in
hospitals or other medical institutions as a pre-requisite for gainful employment.
In exchange for this required hospital training, nurses must pay exorbitant
miscellaneous and training fees.

Recent reports show that some hospitals are using these nurses to augment

their staffing needs in the guise of training them. Instead of giving these nurses

- remunerations for the services they render, they are required to pay the hospital.

. The immediate passage of this proposed measure is intended to end this
unscrupulous practice.

In view of the foregoing, the approval of this bill is earnestly recommended.

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AUGUSTO BOBOY SYJUCO


Fifteenth Congress
First Regular Session

_ HOUSE BILL No. 4348

Introduced by Honorable Augusto Boboy Syjuco, Ph.D.

. AN ACT
MANDATING PUBLIC AND PRIVATE HOSPITALS TO PROVIDE FREE
TRAINING PROGRAM FOR NEWLY-LICENSED NURSES, AMENDING
FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT NO, 9173, OTHERWISE KNOWN
AS THE “PHILIPPINE NURSING ACT OF 2002”

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in
Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Section 30, Article VII of Republic Act No, 9173 is hereby

amended to read as follows:
“ARTICLE VII
HEALTH, HUMAN RESOURCES
PRODUCTION, UTILIZATION AND’ DEVELOPMENT

SEC. 30. Studies for Nursing Manpower Needs, Production,

Utilization and Development. — xxx

SEC. 31. Comprehensive Nursing Specialty AND TRAINING
Programs. — Within ninety (90) days from the effectivity of this Act,
the Board in coordination with the accredited professional
organization recognized specialty organizations and the Department
of Health is hereby mandated to formulate and develop a
comprehensive nursing specialty program that would upgrade the
level of skill and competence of specialty nurse clinicians in the
country, such as but not limited to the areas of critical care, oncology,

renal and such other areas as may be determined by the Board.


The beneficiaries of this program are obliged to serve in any
Philippine hospital for a period of at least two (2) years and

continuous service.

PUBLIC AND PRIVATE HOSPITALS ARE LIKEWISE
MANDATED TO PROVIDE THREE (3) YEAR FREE TRAINING
PROGRAM FOR NEWLY-LICENSED NURSES: PROVIDED,
THAT THE NUMBER OF NURSES ACCEPTED AS TRAINEES
UNDER THIS SECTION SHALL BE EQUIVALENT TO TWENTY
PERCENT (20%) OF THE TOTAL NUMBER OF NURSES
EMPLOYED IN THE HOSPITAL: PROVIDED, FURTHER, THAT
THE TRAINEES SHALL RECEIVE A MONTHLY HONORARIA
EQUIVALENT TO ONE THIRD (1/3) OF THE BASIC SALARY
RECEIVED BY A NURSE I IN THE GOVERNMENT SERVICE,
AN. HONORARIA OF TWO FORTHS (2/4) OF THE BASIC
SALARY OF NURSE I AND THREE FOURTH (%) OF THE
BASIC SALARY OF NURSE I FOR THE THIRD YEAR OF
TRAINING AS PROVIDED UNDER REPUBLIC ACT NO, 6758,
AS AMENDED, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE
“COMPENSATION AND POSITION CLASSIFICATION ACT OF

1989."

NEWLY-LICENSED NURSES MAY AVAIL OF THE
TRAINING PROGRAM WITHIN TWO (2) YEARS
IMMEDIATELY AFTER PASSING THE LICENSURE
EXAMINATIONS ADMINISTERED BY THE BOARD OF
NURSING OF THE PROFESSIONAL REGULATIONS
COMMISSION. ,


SEC, 2. Section 35, Article VII of the same Act is hereby amended to read

as follows:

“ARTICLE VID
Penal and Miscellaneous Provisions

“SEC. 35. Prohibitions in the Practice of Nursing. ~ A fine of
not less than Fifty thousand, pesos (P50,000.00) nor more than One
hundred thousand pesos (P100,000.00) or imprisonment of not less
than one (1) nor more than six (6) years or both, upon the discretion
of the court, shall be imposed upon:

a) XXX
XXK Xxx XXX

d) Any petson or the chief executive officer of a juridical
entity violating. any provision of this Act and its rules and
regulations[.) ; AND

E) ANY HOSPITAL WHICH SHALL REFUSE TO
ADMIT NURSES -FOR THE TRAINING PROGRAM AS

MANDATED UNDER SECTION 31 OF THIS ACT.”

SEC. 3. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in

the Official Gazette or in two (2) national newspapers of general circulation.

Approved, .