Nurses in the Philippines are resigning en masse, because they are underpaid and have long working hours in the frontlines of the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. Their demands for better working conditions and higher pay have been rejected by the government, despite the hospitals having fulfilled all the requirements for the release of the pandemic compensatory funds.

“They are tired and burnt out!” declared Maria Lourdes C. Banaga, nursing director at the Lipa Medix Medical Center, 85km south of capital Manila. She reported that of the 200 nurses of the Center, only 63 have remained as of September 2021. Nurses in other health facilities across the country are also resigning. The Duterte government’s Department of Health recently reported a shortfall of more than 100,000 nurses, forcing those who have remained to work longer hours – up to 16 hours a day – without additional compensation.

Jao Clumia of the St. Luke Medical Center Employees Association in Metro Manila, revealed that 230 nurses have already resigned from their facility since January 2021. In Iligan City, in southern Philippines, more than 14 nurses resigned at the same time in May, because they had not been paid their salaries for four months. They were hired at the start of the pandemic and promised PhP24,000 (US$473) per month, but were not paid their salaries.

The common complaint of the nurses is that their salaries are very low, with many in the private health centers accepting PhP8,000 (US$158) per month wages. They commonly work from 12 to 16 hours, saying they cannot abandon their patients because there is no one to relieve them.

Doctors of the Private Hospital Association are deeply concerned that the health situation of the country may collapse within the next six months and that there will not be any nurses left in the private hospitals. This would have a disastrous effect on the hospitals and patients, they said.

At a press conference of the Private Hospital Worker Alliance of the Philippines on 24 October, they again called for the release of the Special Risk Allowance promised by the Duterte government to the medical frontliners. “What about our meal, accommodation, transportation and life insurance compensation? This is what we expect, but to no avail,” said the alliance’s spokesperson Donell Siazon.

“Need we remind everyone that this is not merely about the funds for just compensation but the very lives of our health workers,” Mr. Siazon said.

ERRATUM: The last sentence of the third paragraph should read: "They were hired at the start of the pandemic and promised PhP24,000 (US$473) per month, but were not paid their salaries." Apologies for any misunderstanding.