Tacloban City, Philipines – About 575 nurses will be employed and deployed, five each to 115 municipalities in the six provinces of Eastern Visayas, under President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s Nurses Assigned in Rural Services (NARS) Project.
Department of Health Region 8 Director Edgardo Gonzaga said that out of the 136 municipalities in Eastern Visayas, 115 will receive five nurses each in two batches, first, from April to September, and the second batch is October 2009 to March 2010.
The NARS trainees shall be warriors of wellness in their hometowns to do three (3) I’s: Initiate primary health, school nutrition, maternal health programs and first line diagnosis; Inform the public on community water sanitation practices and perform health surveillance; and Immunize children and mothers.
NARS Project is in line with the pump priming strategies under the Economic Resiliency Plan of the Arroyo Administration to mitigate the impact of the global financial crisis, to save and create as many jobs as possible and expand social protection.
This was launched by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on 9 February 2009 during the Multi-Sectoral Summit on “Joining Hands Against the Global Crisis” in Malacanang Palace, Manila.
NARS is a Training cum Employment Project, jointly implemented by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the Department of Health (DOH) and the Professional Regulation Commission, Board of Nursing (PRC-BON), designed to mobilize unemployed registered nurses to the 1,000 poorest municipalities of the country to improve the delivery of health care services.
The program aims to address the glut in inexperienced nurses, the proliferation of "volunteer nurses" working in hospitals without being paid, promote health of the people, and bring government services closer to the grassroots.
Nurses will be deployed at an average of five per town in the 1,000 poorest municipalities, for a six-months tour of duty. Completion of the training program under NARS program will be considered as a substitute for the work experience requirement of hospitals and other health facilities.
The nurse-trainees will be jointly issued the Certificate of Completion by the DOLE, DOH and PRC, adding that while on training, the nurses will be given a stipend/allowance of P8,000.00 per month.
Unemployed registered nurses who are physically and mentally fit and willing to serve in their hometowns and who meet the requirements may qualify for the training cum employment under NARS if they are with valid nurse license issued by the PRC; not over 35 years old; resident of the identified municipalities; and have no nursing-related practice for 1-3 years.
Interested nurses may file their application at the nearest DOLE regional office or online at http//www.nars.dole.gov.ph where application forms can be downloaded. Deadline for submission of application is March 22.