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Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Talk back: Story on nursing schools
By Augusto W. Go
President, University of Cebu
I read with horror your news item entitled, “7 CV schools fight to keep nursing alive” (Sun.Star Cebu, Feb. 24, 2005). I thought then that, from the way the article was written, various interpretations were bound to happen, most of them negative.
And indeed, on Feb. 28, 2005, after a four-day break upon my return to work, my worst fears came true. Phone calls came asking whether the University of Cebu is authorized to offer nursing education, and I had to assure each and every caller that UC is very qualified to offer the nursing course.
Hence, for the record, I would like to state the following:
1.UC is a university granted “deregulated status” by the Commission on Higher Education (Ched) effective Oct. 27, 2003 up to Oct. 26, 2008 based on its “tradition of integrity and untarnished reputation” and other things.
2.UC’s College of Nursing, in fact, has been recognized by the Department of Education since 1967. At present, it is Level II, PACU-COA accredited.
3.UC is the only nursing school in the city with two base hospitals, Chong Hua hospital with 650 beds and the Visayas Community Medical Center with 200 beds. If the Ched requirement is a hospital with only 100 beds, how could UC not make it with a total of 850 beds and in two hospitals recognized for their excellent staff and quality services?
4.Aside from these two base hospitals, UC College of Nursing is also affiliated with Amosup Seaman’s Hospital, Mandaue City Hospital, Lapu-Lapu District II Hospital, Minglanilla District Hospital, Friendly Care Clinic, Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center and many other barangay centers.
I hold Sun.Star Cebu in great esteem. Hence, I wonder why a good subject matter on nursing schools can be spoiled by a poorly written article.
Granted that this is only one article, supposedly written after a phone interview with a Ched official—how thorough can one get through a phone interview?—but because it was published in Sun.Star, it has caused concern among many parents as well as school officials like me.
There is a word for it and it is “irresponsible.”
(CYR’S REPLY: The story clearly stated that UC is among the schools recognized by Ched as existing nursing schools in Region 7.
If one had only read the story carefully, one would understand its context was to warn parents and students in enrolling in the new nursing schools--which does not include UC.
As to the status of the seven new schools, which Ched 7 Director Enrique Grecia warned enrollees of, all information gathered was during an interview with Grecia at his office on the afternoon of Feb. 23, 2005.
Explanations on what the seven new schools--which does not include UC--could do and what they have been doing to comply with Ched requirements was done through a phone interview with Dr. Jucel Ann Jumao-as prior to the interview with Grecia.
The reporter sought Jumao-as’ explanation on procedures to come up with a fair article and to give readers the information that even the schools, which are still appealing the Ched order for them to
cease operating, could still correct the deficiencies.
When news broke out in November last year on the Ched order for these new schools to cease from operating unless they comply with the requirements, Sun.Star heeded Ched’s request not to publish the names of the schools for the reason that they still had a chance to comply with the requirements and to continue accepting enrollees after the second semester.
That was done in the spirit of responsible journalism.
It was also with a sense of social responsibility that the Feb. 24 article was written to ensure that students would carefully screen the status of the new nursing schools--which does not include UC--they would want to enroll in.)
(March 2, 2005 issue)
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