…Palace; the CHED Chairman Popoy De Vera; the Department of Health Organizational Development Team, represented by Usec. Kenneth Ronquillo; the Private Sector Advisory Council Healthcare Lead Paolo Borromeo and all the other members of PSAC, you have been [inaudible] in bringing this program to fruition; of course, the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines, represented by President Dr. Jose Rene de Grano; and the other partners that we have in the private sector; my fellow workers in government, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon.

I mentioned in my last State of the Nation Address that
in this year’s The President’s Report to the People, and on multiple occasions: Overcoming the handicaps of our healthcare system will always be a top priority.

Since our medical professionals are critical to the success of this goal, it is important that we meet their needs and the need for more of them, swiftly.

The Clinical Care Associates Upskilling Program, formalized through the Joint Administrative Order No. [2023-0001] and the Memorandum of Understanding that has been signed here today, is among our solutions to this key concern.

It is a groundbreaking endeavor and I am confident that it’s a program that will help address the life of healthcare workers in the country today.

And as a very simple explanation, it allows our – those nursing graduates who have taken their boards and have not been able to pass the board this time, will be allowed to work nonetheless if they can establish their competencies in certain subjects of the nursing curriculum. And that way, they can get to work immediately.

At the same time, we give them the opportunity to attend tutorials, to attend classes, to review so that the next time the boards come around, they have a better chance of passing those boards.

So, aside from the boost that it will give to the quality of our healthcare professional services, it will also reaffirm our unified efforts of our agencies, hospitals, and higher education institutions to prepare our nursing graduates for their board exams and their chosen career paths.

So, I thank you all of you for your eagerness to contribute to our collective goals.

I certainly thank the PSAC, the Private Sector Advisory Council- Healthcare Sector Group for your participation in the formulation of these crucial documents.

The coming together of several groups to achieve this MOU only proves how important it is that unity is there if we are to realize our very important endeavors. Indeed, the nation cannot and will not stand on the grit and energy of just a few.

Now, with everything laid down on this agreement— our objectives, responsibilities, and the mechanisms through which we can fulfill them—and the only thing left now is for us to act.

To the hospitals, the Higher Education Institutions, and all those who are directly involved with our Clinical Care Associates: This is your chance to pass on to our learners the highest level of competence, hospitality, and service that we Filipinos have become famous for.

To DOH and CHED: Do oversee the efficient implementation of this program and ensure that it is done according to global standards.

And to the underboard nurses out there who are contemplating what to do next: I call on you to apply for this program and embrace the support being wholeheartedly given to you by the government and the institutions that we represent.

I invite you to participate and witness just how much development we can bring to the healthcare sector and the nation while you work to fulfill your most noble calling.

So, let me say it again: We will not stop working until we address every major problem hindering our people from living their best – and healthiest – lives.

We will continue striving until such a time that our Filipino professionals choose to work in their own country, and be known for providing excellent service here at home, just as much as we are known for being exemplary healthcare providers in the rest of the world.

Mga kapwa kong Pilipino, isa na naman po ito sa mga malalaking hakbang na isinasagawa natin dito sa ating pamahalaan tungo sa Bagong Pilipinas na ating minimithi.

Sama-sama at patuloy po nating isulong ang misyong ito at napakahalaga para sa ating mga kababayan. Maraming salamat po. Mabuhay kayong lahat. Magandang hapon po. [applause]

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