Tacloban City (21 March) --- As part of the strategy to mitigate the impact of the global financial crisis, around 1,000 inexperienced nurses will be hired for emergency employment to serve in 115 poor municipalities in Eastern Visayas.

Forter Puguon, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) regional director, said that Eastern Visayas is one of the regions with the most licensed nurses.

Under the Nurse Assigned in Rural Service (NARS) program, the nurses will be trained for six months at a hospital and in their rural home towns under the guidance of participating nearby hospitals and other medical facilities.

"This is to help address the effect of the slowing down of the economy and unemployment," Mr. Puguon said at a news conference at the Philippine Information Agency yesterday afternoon.

While training, the nurses will recieve a monthly stipend of P8,000, or about P366 per day for 40 hours of training a week.

"As these nurses are already in their hometowns, transportation expenses will no longer be a problem," Minerva Molon, assistant regional director of the health department, said.

Of the 115 poor municipalities, 36 are located in Leyte, 26 in Samar, 22 in Northern Samar, 13 in Eastern Samar, 10 in Southern Leyte, and eight in Biliran.

Ms. Molon said the nurses will perform the following functions: initiate primary health, school nutrition, maternal health programs, and first line diagnosis; inform their constituents about community water sanitation, practices and also do health surveillance; and immunize children and mothers.

The nurses will undergo training and development for competency enhancement in accordance with the training program designed by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) in collaboration with the health department.

She added that they will seek the support of local government units to find jobs for the nurses after the training has been completed.

Project NARS was launched by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in February during the Multi-Sectoral Summit on "Joining Hands Against the Global Crisis" held in Malacanang.

Mr. Puguon said the DOLE is accepting applications and conducting its selection of nurses for deployment to rural areas until March 22, adding an initial 575 nurse-trainees will be selected for deployment beginning April 1. Another batch of 575 nurse-trainees will be recruited between Aug. 15 and Sept. 30. Deployment of the second batch to rural areas would start on Oct. 1.