MANILA, Philippines – Nurses who work overseas outnumber those who work in the Philippines four to one, Health Secretary Enrique Ona said.

At least 177,414 nurses are presently employed overseas, according to figures from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), Ona said in a keynote speech during the 1st Global Summit of Filipino Nurses as posted in the Department of Health’s Facebook account.

Meanwhile, only 38,488 nurses are employed in the country, according to the National Database of Human Resources for Health Information System, Ona added.

“While the Philippines has a huge human reservoir for health, they are unevenly distributed in the country,” he said, noting that most are concentrated in urban cities like metro Manila.

The health chief vowed that it was addressing the issue through its universal health care program which aims to give quality and affordable health care to Filipinos, as well as its deployment program of nurses to rural communities.

The 1st Global Summit was held from January 16 to 17 at the Manila Hotel.

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