Binay hails nurse pay hike; 56 nurses hired since March

MAKATI Mayor Mar-len Abigail “Abby” Binay today said the city government fully supported the increase in the base salary for nurses in the government service, noting that the city has hired 56 new nurses since the pandemic broke out in March.

The mayor said the P55.17-million additional budget, recently approved by the City Council, covers the adjustment of entry-level or Nurse 1 position from Salary Grade 11 to Salary Grade 15, which increased the basic monthly pay from P22,316 to P32,053 effective July 1, 2020.

She pointed out that the pay hike amounting to P9,737 per month was a well-deserved reward for the nurses, who have been working practically nonstop as frontliners in the country’s fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

The mayor also expressed hope that the higher salary will entice more nurses to serve with government units and agencies, where they are needed the most.

“we hope that with a more competitive salary, board-certified nurses, who have opted to pursue [an unrelated] career or go abroad, will be inspired to stay and serve their fellow Filipinos,” she said.

Since March, the city government has hired 56 additional nurses consisting of 38 for the Makati Health Department (MHD) and 18 for Ospital ng Makati (OsMak) since March, bringing the total number of city-employed nurses to 493. To date, Osmak has 353 nurses; MHD, 114; Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, 5; Education Department, 14; University of Makati, six; and General Services Department, one.