BORONGAN, E. Samar - Feb. 21(PIA) To ensure the nurses' security, the Department of Health (DOH) in the province made enrolment to health insurance a priority for the nurses it recruited to the Registered Nurses for Health Enhancement Local Services (RN HEALS) Program.
According to Alexi Abellar, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Provincial Head, the 170 nurses assigned to 23 municipalities in the province will be enrolled to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation.
"We know that there are risks in this kind of job and we want to make sure we give the assistance necessary to help them," Abellar said in an interview with Radyo ng Bayan DYES-Borongan.
The DOH has shouldered the cost of the nurses' health insurance for the duration of the program.
Aside from this, the nurses will also receive an P8,000 allowance every month.
Angeline Norcio, one of the nurses in the program, expressed elation over the benefits the government agencies bundled for them in the program.
Maslog Mayor Septimio Santiago of Maslog town confirmed that if the nurses perform well, his Local Government Unit (LGU) is willing to add a reasonable amount to the allowance.
Vernard Pinanggay of PhilHealth said that the nurses can enjoy the benefits of their health insurance in three months.
The nurses were deployed to their assigned towns on February 14, 2011 after a two-day orientation.
