The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) will start receiving application for

the NARS (Nurses Assigned in Rural Service) program on February 20, 2009 (Friday).
Interested applicants may file their application at the nearest DOLE regional office, or
online at www.nars.dole.gov.ph where application forms can be downloaded.

The Requirements:

Unemployed registered nurses who are physically and mentally fit and willing to serve in
their hometowns and who meet the following requirements may qualify for the training
cum employment under NARS:

• With valid nurse license issued by the PRC

• Not over 35 years old
• Resident of the identified municipalities
• No nursing-related practice for the past 1-3 years

Nurse applicants who are dependents of workers affected by the Global Crisis based on
the list provided by the DOLE Regional office shall be given priority in the selection.
Deadline for submission of application is on March 22, 2009. The initial 5,000 nurse-
trainees would be selected for deployment beginning April 1, 2009. Another batch of
5,000 nurse-trainees would be recruited between Aug. 15- Sept. 30, 2009. Deployment of
the second batch to rural areas would commence on Oct. 1, 2009.

Completion of the training program under NARS program shall be considered as a

substitute for the work experience requirement of hospitals and other health facilities,
both local and overseas. The Certificate of Completion shall be issued jointly by the
DOLE, DOH and PRC.

While on training, nurses will be given a stipend/allowance of P8,000.00 per month. This
translates to about P366.00 per day for a forty (40) hours training/workweek. As these
nurses are already in their hometowns, transportation expenses will no longer be a
problem.

The stipend of P8,000 may be increased if the host LGUs will offer a counterpart of say
P2,000. Corporations may chip in by providing shirts, insurance, vitamins, etc., making
the program a national enterprise with private equity.

The NARS Program

Under the Nurses Assigned in Rural Service (NARS) program, some 5,000 to 6,000
nurses will be hired by the government to serve as “warriors of wellness” in poverty-
stricken areas. They will be assigned in their hometowns and will be tasked to implement
the following (1) initiate health and nutrition programs and first line diagnosis (2) to
inform communities about water sanitation and health surveillance (3) immunize children
and their mother. They shall also serve as roving nurses for rural schools. This program
will enable nurses to gain the necessary training and experience needed for overseas
employment. Hired nurses will work for 6-12 months and will receive a monthly
allowance of P8,000 plus P2,000 counterpart fund from the local government units.

In the Multi-Sectoral Jobs Summit at the Heroes Hall in Malacañang, President Arroyo
said the NARS program mainly targets fresh nursing graduates who have passed the
board examination but lack work experience to find jobs abroad.

Meanwhile, Health Alliance for Democracy (HEAD) Secretary General Geneve Rivera
said short-term measures such as temporary and low-paying jobs will only cause bigger
problems not only for workers, but also for the economy.

“It only provides temporary jobs for nurses. They are only given six months to one year
to work. After that period, they won’t have jobs again, and the provinces will again lack
nurses and health care professionals,” she said.

“Our nurses will be getting very low wages. According to the Nursing Act of 2002, a
nurse’s beginning salary should be P15,000 or salary grade 15. The government’s offer is
P8000 from the national government, and a P2000 stipend from the local government.
It’s way too low. And we all know that the local government doesn’t have enough budget
to provide compensation,” she said.