AN official of the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) yesterday said the Philippine Nursing Act of 2002 does not provide for the issuance of a temporary license to those who flunked the Nursing Licensure Examination (NLE).
PRC Commissioner Jose Cueto said in a radio interview Republic Act No. 9173 provides specific qualifications for the issuance of special/temporary permits to nurses, and that it does not include NLE flunkers.
“In the Nursing Law, or RA 9173, there is a section on practicing through special or temporary permits. But its coverage is only for licensed nurses from foreign countries,” he said.
“They can only get the temporary permits if they will come for a medical mission or if they are employed by schools/colleges of Nursing as exchange professors in a branch or specialty of Nursing,” he added.
Under the law, a special/temporary permit may be issued by the Board of Nursing to licensed nurses from foreign countries/states subject to the approval of the PRC.
It also provides that “the special/temporary permit shall be effective only for the duration of the project, medical mission, or employment contract.”
Cueto’s statement comes amid the proposal of Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa for the PRC to issue temporary licenses to NLE flunkers with grades of 70 to 74 percent in order to allow them to be employed in DOH hospitals.
Herbosa said such a program will be a temporary solution to the nurse shortage problem in the country.
Cueto said the PRC official said is willing to work with the DOH in addressing the nursing shortage.
