Nurses working in public hospitals may have to wait until 2021 year in order to receive their new salary grade adjustment.
Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III said the salary adjustment was not included in their proposed budget for 2020, reported the Philippine Star.
This, despite the recent Supreme Court en banc mandate of P30,531 minimum pay for them in hospitals run by the DOH.
Based on the decision, starting nurses in the public sector shall receive Salary Grade 15 to meet the current living wage for a family of five which is already P32,000 a month.
The high court upheld Section 32 of Republic Act 9173 or the 2002 Philippine Nursing Act which says that “the minimum base pay of nurses working in public health institutions shall not be lower than salary grade 15.”
However, Duque assured nurses that the wage adjustments may be done for their propose budget for 2021.
Meanwhile, Rep. Mike Defensor of party-list Anakalusugan said despite the DOH’s exclusion of the salary increase for nurses, the national government could still source funds for it from the Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund.
