PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday vowed to expand medical and nursing programs to address the shortage of healthcare workers.

In his second State of the Nation Address, Marcos expressed the urgency of strengthening the country’s healthcare system in response to the growing demand for healthcare workers in the Philippines.

“To address the current shortage of healthcare professionals in our country, and to help us achieve our goal of universal healthcare, we are greatly expanding our medical and nursing education programs,” he said.

“We will push the envelope further. We are helping nursing graduates hurdle their board exams, so that they will obtain their licenses and join our pool of healthcare professionals,” he added.

Last week, Health Secretary Ted Herbosa and Commission on Higher Education Chairman Prospero de Vera III signed a joint administrative order to pave the way for the entry of Clinical Care Associates into the healthcare system and a nursing review program that will be delivered by identified higher education institutions.

Herbosa said that the Health department will be the lead agency in implementing the Nurse Workforce Complementation and Upskilling Program for CCAs.

Nursing graduates will be provided the opportunity for re-skilling and upskilling to help them pass the licensure test.