Nurse Directory

It seems that the career of Clarie Morales Bontol, the 2009 nursing board exam topnotcher from Iligan, will temporarily take a back seat while she busies herself with politics.

She is not running for any public position in May elections. In fact, she even admitted that she is not a “political person.” She, however, will actively campaign for presidential candidate Nicanor Perlas. In her radio dzMM interview Sunday, Bontol declared that she is “an ardent supporter” of the independent candidate.
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The Department of Health (DOH) may recommend to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) the banning on the importation of mercury-containing products in the country. Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that can affect the kidney and the nervous, digestive, respiratory and immune systems.

In a telephone interview, Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral reiterated that mercury is highly toxic so the use of any product containing the substance should be prohibited.

According to Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral

I think products like fluorescent lamps have mercury. We will propose to the DENR that these products be banned. We will see

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The Department of Health (DOH) urged the public to be cautious in buying food and herbal supplements, saying that these are not meant to be alternatives to medicines and sound medical advice from physicians.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is under the DOH, has repeatedly issued warnings to the public to always check whether the products they buy are approved by the FDA and are marked with the disclaimer “NO APPROVED THERAPEUTIC CLAIMS”

According to Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral

Many are being misled into thinking that these supplements can cure diseases when in fact they can’t.

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The Department of Health’s National Center for Health Promotion (NCHP) and National Center for Disease Prevention and Control (NCDPC) recently released a health advisory to the public as the country begins to feel the effects of El Nino.

The El Nino phenomenon is characterized by extreme climactic conditions – either extreme temperature rise with a little rainfall, and the opposite extreme, unusually heavy rainfall. The former condition is what the Philippines is currently experiencing.

According to Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral

This extremely hot weather carries with it its own effects on health, so we came out with an advisory to inform the public about the potential health risks, and what they can do to safeguard themselves

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The Department of Health (DOH) clarified today that the condoms given last Valentine’s weekend were not meant to promote artificial contraception, but rather a reminder to the public of the importance of responsible sexual behavior in combating the threat of HIV/AIDS. The Ingat Lagi, My Valentine campaign, which was held last February 13 at the Dangwa Flower Market in Manila, has received criticism from the Catholic Church for supposedly being “immoral”.

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In a joint announcement by Department of Health (DOH) secretary Esperanza I. Cabral and Philippine Cancer Society, Inc. (PCSI) chairman Dr. Roberto M. Paterno, breast cancer is now the most common cancer site in terms of incidence in Metro Manila and Rizal and has surpassed lung cancer as the most prevalent cancer.

According to Sec Cabral

This is significant as far as the DOH cancer control program and the PCS advocacy for prevention and early detection as we need to intensify efforts to save our women from this deadly disease

For his part, Dr. Paterno said that the Society will enhance its free mammography services and fine needle aspiration biopsy to accommodate more indigent patients.

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ILOILO CITY — The Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) in Western Visayas wants to limit the rights of repeaters to re-take the nursing licensure examination.

According to Dr. Rex Casiple, CHEd assistant regional director, repeaters pulled down the passing percentage of 16 nursing schools in Western Visayas, which otherwise performed well during the November 2009 nursing board examinations. (more…)

In the recent NCLEX Statistics data released by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN), the number of Filipino Nurses taking the NCLEX examination plunged by 26 percent in 2009.

A total of 15,382 Filipino nurses took the NCLEX for the first time from January to December 2009, a decrease of 5,364 compared to the 20,746 that took the examinations in the same 12-month period in 2008. (more…)

The Court of Appeals has upheld the decision of Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) to revoke the license of Virginia Madeja, a former BoN member and examiner in the June 2006 nursing licensure exam.

The 17-page decision promulgated on January 21 was written by Associate Justice Jose Reyes Jr. and concurred in by Associate Justices Apolinario Bruselas Jr. and Ricardo Rosario of the Court of Appeals Special Fourteenth Division. (more…)