A Closer look to Rural Hospital Nurses

A full maternity ward in a Rural Hospital in the Philippines

You might have been confined to a hospital before for taking several toilet trips at night due to diarrhea, or those dreaded temperature spikes and rashes caused by Dengue. Whatever your ailments may be, you would always see a Nurse going around and about in hospital wards and rooms, taking patients' temperatures, regulating IV bottles or better yet, wiping someones poop outlet. And no, She's not the typical sexy nurse you see in TV ads or TV shows with full make up, long curvy hair and wearing a short white skirt. Her hair is actually kinky, her uniform's stained with either pen ink, blood or unfortunately, sometimes even with an elder's urine. Her face looks tired at the end of the day you'd think she just got off working from a rice field - no offense to our dignified farmers, they are the best in the world. Amidst the gentle care and therapy that the Nurses are delivering, are there any bubbles of questions that pop out of the people's mind like the physical, emotional and mental status of the multitasking nurse? Have you ever questioned yourself about what their working conditions really are? Today is the perfect time to think about it. Perhaps, let me give you a little stimulant.


Many Nurses, especially those assigned in the Rural Areas are discreetly suffering from many inconveniences. We might not see it directly in their faces, but their tired eyes show how things are going in their industry. To enable the nurses to provide quality and maximum care, the ideal Nurse- Patient Ratio is 1:4, but in various Rural Hospitals, the ratio shoots up to an unreasonable 1:14-15. Just merely looking at these calculations, It's disturbing to think how could one nurse provide accurate and effective care to 15 regular ward patients within 8 hours or even up to 12 hours at times when the need for overtime arises. It is frustrating to see that nurses are apparently exploited in our country, but even more so exasperating that the general health of the public is compromised due to this displeasing practice.

Patients sharing one IV pole due to lack of Equipment

Rural hospitals are the first liners when health concerns or emergencies arise as they are the closest to individuals, families and communities. As primary retreats as they are, they should have important and advanced medical equipment which may come in handy if necessary. However, as acrid as it may sound, most Rural Hospitals still use Rusty and Stone-Age devices, if not defective. These factors could all lead up to a poor deliverance of care as the modern practice of nursing demands the aid of up-to-date medical machines/ equipment. On the brighter side however, it seems that the spirit of the Filipino Nightingales could not be barred down by such hurdles, thus, Rural Nurses have adjusted to such circumstances and learned how to use the very basic equipment. In short, they are likely to do the task the "Manual" way. For example, many hospitals around the world are now using Automated Vital Signs Monitors to regularly check the patients Blood Pressure, Cardiac rate, Respiratory rate and Temperature. In our setting however, the Nurse manually checks all of these vital signs through the use of hand-operated BP apparatus, Stethoscope and Thermometer. In this context, it logically shows how Filipino Nurses are trained to render hands-on and delicate care to patients without having to depend on machines. Truly, the Filipino Nurses are the best in the World.


In Lieu of the growing number of Unemployed Registered Nurses in the Philippines, the Government have been making efforts to address this pitfall which has been there for years and years already. Just recently, The Department of Health sparked hope for all aspiring Entry-Level Nurses through introducing the NDP or Nurse Deployment Program. The program aims to deploy nurses to various health settings in communities identified by National Anti-Poverty Commission. The salary is also promising which amounts to P18,549/ Month. These type of programs are usually renewed every year and new nurses are deployed therein again to give the path of experience and opportunities for those who have been keeping their heels cold waiting for hospital hiring. Perhaps, the patients only the pinnacle of the Iceberg above, but do not really see the submerged part of it, floating hopelessly beneath. After all, what would hospitals be without nurses? It is said that nurses are the heart of the hospital. And if the Heart fails, everything else will stumble. Up until now, The Nursing community is still hungry for attention and affection from the National Government, still hoping that one day, their efforts and service to the people will be returned thereof accordingly. So maybe next time you get to be assisted or taken cared of by a Nurse, A simple "Thank you" with a Smile will brighten them up a little.