LEGAZPI CITY: In a meeting with hospital chiefs in Albay on Monday, August 1, at the provincial hall, Gov. Noel Rosal announced that starting September this year, nurses will receive P15,400 monthly wages, while midwives and nurse attendants will receive P13,000. Rosal wants to increase the pay of medical workers whose services are crucial, especially at this time of the pandemic.

Similarly, Rosal said that frontline medical workers such as nurses, nurse attendants, and midwives — who are on job order status — will be promoted as casual workers of the provincial government and will receive a higher base pay.

Rosal also asked the members of the 14th Sangguniang Panlalawigan ng Albay to provide funding support in his plan to hire additional medical personnel as Albay bats for inclusion in the Universal Health Care Program of the Department of Health.

Rosal convened all public physicians in Albay on August 2 to discuss and address the complaints of the people regarding the lack of medicines in government hospitals in the far-flung areas, specifically in the islands of Cagraray, Batan, Rapu-Rapu and San Miguel where medicines are not enough as well as lack of medical equipment.

“We need to purchase sufficient medical supplies in the hospitals to immediately provide for the needs of the public,” the new governor of Albay said.

Cedric Daep, Albay Provincial Disaster Risk Management Office chief and Provincial General Services Office officer in charge, said that all medicines purchased by the provincial government should be directly delivered to the hospitals instead of keeping it to the warehouse.

Daep told the chief of hospitals to prepare the purchase request for various medicines to facilitate the procurement process. Aside from adequate stock of medicines, Rosal also pushed for salary increases for nurses, midwives and nurse attendants.