The Nurse Deployment Project 2014 or NDP is a Department of Health (DOH) project that aims to improve local health systems and support the Philippines’ attainment of Universal Health Care or “Kalusugang Pangkalahatan.” Furthermore it aims to also give employment opportunities to the growing number of unemployed nurses in the country. The program coincides with one of the main goals of the Aquino Health Agenda (AHA).
Budget for employing nurses have doubled as sin taxes increased the DOH’s budget thus the Nurses Deployment Project will employ nurses instead of ‘deploying’ them contrary to that of RNheals.
Because of its implementing guidelines’ similarity, Nurse Deployment Project 2014 is sometimes dubbed as “RNheals 2014” or “Nurses to Barrios Program.” In fact, the NDP is the successor of the Registered Nurse for Health Enhancement and Local Service (RN Heals).
DOH Secretary Enrique T. Ona has signed the DOH Department Circular 2013-0403 or the Implementing Guidelines for the Nurse Deployment Project 2014 issued at September 30, 2013. The certified true copy of the said memo was submitted to the DOH Records Section last November 21, 2013.
Applicants shall accomplish the official project application form which can be downloaded through the DOH website. Applications shall be submitted directly to CHDs or to RHUs, PHOs, and DOH Central Offices that are tasked to forward them to CHDs.
Application shall be open to all nurses with the following qualifications:
- Official and validated license from the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).
- Willing to undergo recruitment and selection process of the CHDs.
- Physically and mentally fit. A medical certificate is required.
Priority shall also be given to the following:
- Nurses who are graduates of the RNheals program.
- Nurses residing in the localities where the recipient rural health units or health facilities are located.
Examination will be given to all applicants to avoid possible biases during the selection process. Although the coverage and structure of the exam may vary per CHD, the following topics are most likely to be included:
- Community Health Nursing
- Public Health Nursing
- Maternal and Child Care Nursing
- Maternity Nursing
Once officially accepted, nurses will be informed by the receiving facilities through a letter or any mode of communication available. The nurses are then required to sign a contract of service in pursuit of their commitment to complete the project.
Nurses under the NDP will be assigned in Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) areas of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), 20 poorest provinces and 1,233 focus municipalities as identified by the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC).
Nurses will be hired on a Contract of Services status with an equivalent item of NURSE I. Their contract is for six (6) months that can be renewed based on very satisfactory performance for a maximum of two (2) years. Hired nurses shall receive Salary Grade 11 or amounting to Php 18,594.00 monthly, equivalent to a entry-level nurse. The nurses shall submit their Daily Time Record (DTR) every month to their respective CHDs every month. This will serve as basis for their salary and shall be approved by the Public Health Nurse or Municipal Health Officer in the RHUs, Chief Nurse or immediate supervisors.
In case of absences and tardiness, the salary is subject to deductions based on the existing rules and regulations.
Nurses are also required to submit a Monthly Accomplishment Report describing the highlights of their activities, target achievements, learning insights, issues and concerns and recommendations. It shall be submitted to their immediate supervisor for notation and to be forwarded to the CHDs.
CHDs are also tasked to conduct a midterm and end of deployment evaluation. The results of the evaluation shall be submitted to HHRDB as an input to the Program Implementation Review (PIR).
After the satisfactory completion of their deployment, the nurses shall be awarded with a Certificate of Employment signed by the CHD director. The four-year long run of RNheals program has been scrapped by the DOH in exchange for the Nurse Deployment Project 2014. In RNheals, nurses are only receiving Php 8,000 monthly stipend and PhilHealth and GSIS contributions. As for the NDP, DOH will not only be employing the nurses (rather than only deploying them) and will be receiving around Php 18,549 or Salary Grade 11 including all the benefits a DOH employee receives.
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