Marcos eyes providing scholarship for nurses, healthcare workers

MANILA – President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said Thursday, November 24, that the government may resort to giving out scholarship programs for aspiring nurses and other medical workers as other countries “scramble” to find healthcare professionals.

Under the scholarship program, Marcos said those who will finish their courses will have to first serve in the country for a few years before they will be allowed to work abroad, noting that the government cannot prevent them from leaving the country given the high salary abroad.

“Lahat, nurses. Naghahanap... Everybody that I talk to, especially from the States and from Europe... So the only thing is that the scholarship program, that you know, you can’t hold people back from a better life, from a better living,” the President said during a meeting with representatives of the healthcare cluster of the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) in Malacañang.

“But I think it’s fair that if you provide scholarship, that you expect that there are... mag-serbisyo muna sila ng ilang taon. Hindi babayaran ‘yung scholarship eh. They don’t need to pay that,” he added.

For her part, Department of Health officer-in-charge Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said they have already started discussions about the matter with the University of the Philippines and other allied healthcare services.

Vergeire said the country will be able to produce more health workers under the program although bearing fruit will take some time.

She said they are also in coordination with the Department of Migrant Workers for the exchange programs with other countries in need of medical workers. The DMW earlier said they are eyeing to secure deals with other countries to provide funds for scholarships in the Philippines.

Lahat, nurses. Naghahanap... Everybody that I talk to, especially from the States and from Europe... So the only thing is that the scholarship program, that you know, you can’t hold people back from a better life, from a better living.

President FERDINAND “BONGBONG” MARCOS JR.