Confronting the Care Crisis: A Roundtable Discussion on the Nursing Crisis in the Philippines, 24 August

The Ateneo School of Government through the Ateneo Policy Center, in partnership with Optum, will be hosting a closed roundtable discussion titled “Confronting the Care Crisis: A Roundtable Discussion on the Nursing Crisis in the Philippines” on 24 August 2023, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm.

The Philippines is among the largest exporters of nurses globally, but concurrently suffers from a critical shortage of nurses domestically. This leads to a high nurse-to-patient ratio, reaching as far as having one nurse for 60 patients, and presumably has an impact on regulations, quality of care, and compensation.  If policymakers fail to address this issue, the World Health Organization projects that the shortfall of nurses in the Philippines could reach as high as almost 250,000 by 2030.

The roundtable discussion seeks to serve as a venue for concerned stakeholders to produce priority evidence-based policy recommendations to address this existential crisis. The landscape perspective will be led by Atty Darwin Mariano, Vice President for External Affairs from Optum, part of the UnitedHealth Group. Ateneo de Manila University’s Dr Enrico Mina will provide health economics considerations and Dr Cristina Liamzon will offer reactions on overseas workers. Finally, Miriam College president and former senior diplomat Ms. Laura Quiambao-Del Rosario will discuss economic diplomacy solutions.

This closed-door roundtable discussion will be moderated by Dr Kenneth Hartigan-Go from the Ateneo Policy Center. The Chatham House Rule will apply.

The event is by invitation only and will be held onsite. There will be no virtual platform access.  Lunch will be served.