President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday pledged to expand pathways into the nursing profession and improve working conditions for healthcare frontliners as his administration moves to address the severe national shortage of nurses and fortify the Philippine healthcare system. Speaking at the Philippine Nurses Association (PNA), Inc. National Annual Convention 2026, the President emphasized the urgency of filling critical staffing gaps in both public and private medical facilities to ensure that local healthcare institutions have the necessary workforce to serve communities effectively.
Department of Health (DOH) guidelines recommend a nurse-to-patient ratio of 1:12, while international global standards advocate for a 1:4 ratio. However, local health facilities face an estimated shortage of 106,000 to 127,000 nurses, pushing actual nurse-to-patient ratios to roughly 1:20 in general wards and between 1:30 and 1:50 in public and provincial hospitals.
To address this, the administration is working with the DOH, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to introduce an “Alternative Pathways for Nurses” program. The government has also lifted its long-standing moratorium on new Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs, expanding the number of higher education institutions offering nursing degrees from 354 in July 2022 to an estimated 425 as of June 2026.
The President highlighted several ongoing welfare and professional development measures aimed at supporting healthcare frontliners. Funding allocations for the Health Emergency Allowance increased significantly from P6.8 billion in 2022 to over P110 billion in 2026 for both public and private workers. The administration is also pursuing the Clinical Care Associates Program to provide extended employment opportunities to nursing graduates who have yet to pass the licensure examination, along with an enhanced one-year master’s degree program to train more qualified clinical instructors. Marcos noted that while these initiatives address critical parts of the challenge, building a resilient healthcare system requires sustained effort and unified support across government bodies, private organizations and academic institutions under the “Bagong Pilipinas” vision.
At the convention, the PNA highlighted legislative priorities aimed at securing structural reforms through the proposed Comprehensive Nursing Bill, specifically House Bill No. 9301 and Senate Bill No. 1911. Key provisions advocated by the association include raising the minimum starting compensation for nurses to Salary Grade 15, establishing a structured Career Progression and Specialization Program, and introducing the Advanced Practice Registered Nurse designation for nurses with graduate-level education.
The PNA is also pushing for the creation of the Office of the National Chief Nursing Officer within the DOH, with the position holding the rank of undersecretary to represent nursing interests at the cabinet level.