Quezon City: Lured by higher pay and prospects of a better life, a total of 28,258 Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) graduates from the Philippines took the United States licensure examination for the first time in 2024, Quezon City Rep. Marvin Rillo said on Sunday.

According to Philippines News Agency, the number of Philippine-educated nurses seeking to practice their profession in America remains high due to insufficient pay at home. Rillo, vice chairperson of the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education, highlighted this in a news release. He estimates that 54 percent of BSN graduates from the Philippines pass the US licensure examination on their first attempt, while 36 percent of repeat test-takers succeed.

Citing data from the US National Council of State Boards of Nursing Inc., Rillo noted that 5,869 nursing graduates from India, 3,740 graduates from Kenya, 2,662 graduates from Nepal, and 2,636 graduates from South Korea also took their first US licensure examination in 2024.

Rillo is the author of House Bill No. 5276, which aims to increase the basic monthly pay of entry-level government nurses by 74 percent, raising it to PHP70,013 (Salary Grade 21). Currently, these nurses receive a basic pay of PHP40,208 (Salary Grade 15).

In the Senate, Senator Raffy Tulfo is advocating for Senate Bill 2694, which seeks to increase the basic pay of entry-level public nurses by 40 percent, or to PHP56,390 (Salary Grade 19). Both bills aim to amend the Philippine Nursing Act of 2002.

Rillo emphasized that higher pay is crucial to retaining nurses in the local health sector. The Philippines now faces a shortage of 127,000 nurses, a number expected to rise to 250,000 by 2030, according to the World Health Organization.