A NURSING official said Thursday the much-focus given on nurses going abroad has caused a "standstill on the local professional development."
This, as Dr. Josefina Tuazon, Dean of the University of the Philippines College of Nursing, disclosed her observations on the effects of the nursing profession's drive to go abroad at the launching of "Project EntrepreNurse", a program initiated by the Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Health, and Philippine Health Corporation among others.
The program centers on promoting nurse entrepreneurship by introducing a home health care industry in the country.
"In the last decade (nursing professionals and those taking up the course on nursing) have been looking forward to going abroad that this has caused a standstill and parang nag-regress yung development on the profession," Tuazon said at Apo View Hotel.
Tuazon admitted that as the drive to go abroad went on for several years, hospitals adjusted and developing ways to train nurses or lessen incentives because nurses leave the hospital after gaining the required experience for working abroad.
"Because of all these attention to going abroad even (there are cases na) nagsanla na raw ng lupa and everything. They were willing to do anything to go abroad," Tuazon said.
Tuazon during the launching said the nursing profession welcomes the national government agencies' mean to generate jobs for nurses within the country.
Tuazon added that the project's essence is lessening the drive to go abroad and in effect gradually put the focus back on local health.
"This will mainly start with health promotion, disease prevention, risk assessment mainly on diseases, which are the main reasons for mortality in the country, addressing the problems in smoking, obesity and lack of physical activities. In other words it can help create a healthier country," Tuazon said. (JCZ)