Close to 1,000 nurses benefit from NARS program in WV
Close to 1,000 nurses from Western Visayas benefited from the Nurses Assigned in Rural Areas (NARS) program, an initiative of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to generate employment in the health sector.
The program is now in its second batch in serving some 96 poorest municipalities in the region since its inception in May.
President Arroyo launched the NARS program to provide a training ground for thousands of nurses who plan to go abroad while at the same time earning an allowance of P8,000 per month for six months.
For the second batch, the nurses-volunteers were first deployed to various public schools to assist the Department of Education (DepEd) in its campaign on prevention of Influenza A(H1N1) and malnutrition.
Their deployment to public schools is in addition to their assignment in rural health units (RHUs) and district hospitals in selected municipalities of Western Visayas to complement the vacuum in health personnel that is being experienced by DepEd.
The program is being implemented by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in cooperation with the Department of Health (DOH) and the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC). (PNA)
