NARS first batch receive certificates of completion
MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte — The first wave of newly-licensed nurses who were privileged to serve the people in ten municipalities of Southern Leyte province for six months, from April to September, this year, under the Nurses Assigned in Rural Service (NARS) of the government, received their certificates of completion yesterday at the Supercha restaurant, this city.
Fe Norma Valuis, Provincial Director of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the lead agency in the NARS program, handed the certificates to the beaming trainees, assisted by Dr. Joselito Trumata, Provincial Health Officer, and Johnny Badocdoc, Provincial Director of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).
The Nurse-Trainees, Batch 1, were presented for the purported “graduation” rites by Leticia Tan, the City Department of Health (DOH) representative. The DOH has been one of the partner agencies of the NARS program, along with the Professional Regulations Commission (PRC).
At five NARS nurses per town, there should have been fifty graduates, but only 49 actually got their certificates inasmuch as one of them did not complete the 6-month period, only for three months, for having been absorbed in a medical institution in Cebu City, Valuis told PIA.
The certificates were signed by DOH Secretary Francisco Duque, DOLE Secretary Marianito Roque, and PRC Commissioner Nicolas Lavina, Jr.
The second batch of NARS trainees had started their tour of duty last October 15 for a similar timespan of six months, this time all the eighteen municipalities and one city of the province were duly covered.
Each trainee enjoys a monthly stipend of P8,000 from DOLE funds.
Valuis challenged the trainees to find stable jobs, saying the certificates they got will be one of the best documents to prove to the prospective employers anywhere in the country or abroad that they are capable to be in the nursing profession.
In fact, one of the batch 1 NARS trainees was already absorbed by LGU-Malitbog, to work in the Rural Health Unit (RHU) there, Valuis informed.
In his message, Dr. Trumata cited the trainees’ rare opportunity to serve the people in the clinics and hospitals and in public health at the rural areas, adding that their experience and exposure can be used in their future deployment.
DILG’s Badocdoc shared his intimacy with Nurses, saying there are two nurses in his life, his wife and daughter, who is now with NARS Batch two in their home province in Eastern Samar.
Two NARS trainees, Ivy and Sherwyn, also shared their memorable experience with the program, stressing that it was one of the amazing points in their lives where their skills learned in nursing schools were put to real test.
The NARS program was launched by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on February 9, 2009 as part of pump priming strategies under the Economic Resiliency Plan of the government to serve as a venue for inexperienced nurses and provide health care services to the marginalized and the poor. (PIA-Southern Leyte)
