Calls for higher compensation for registered nurses resurfaced on Thursday following reports that the Philippines produced only 37,000 new nurses in 2024, nearly half the annual average recorded more than a decade ago.

Quezon City Rep. Marvin Rillo, vice chair of the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education, expressed concern that many newly registered nurses may opt not to practice their profession due to inadequate local compensation.

The Philippines, known as the world’s top supplier of nurses, continues to face challenges as many nurses leave for better opportunities abroad, leaving local hospitals understaffed.

“We are not paying our new nurses enough to encourage them to practice their profession. We must invest more in our nurses if we want to retain some of them in the local health sector,” Rillo said.

The country is grappling with a shortage of 127,000 nurses as of 2023, a gap projected to grow to 250,000 by 2030, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The shortage stems from slower production of nurses and persistent overseas migration.

Data from the Professional Regulation Commission revealed that the 37,098 new nurses in 2024 marked only a slight increase from the 36,525 in 2023, far below the annual average of 63,800 a decade ago.

Currently, entry-level nurses at Department of Health hospitals earn a basic monthly salary of P40,208 (Salary Grade 15).

Rillo has proposed legislation to increase the basic monthly pay of entry-level nurses in government hospitals by 74 percent, raising it to P70,013 (Salary Grade 21).

Meanwhile, in the Senate, Senator Raffy Tulfo has introduced a similar bill seeking a 40 percent pay hike for entry-level nurses in public health institutions, setting their basic salary at P56,390 (Salary Grade 19).

Both bills aim to amend the Philippine Nursing Act of 2002 to address the critical issue of nurse retention and ensure adequate staffing for the country’s healthcare system.