TABUK CITY, Kalinga: The Center for Health Development (CHD) deployed this January 74 nurses and midwives to all the municipalities in the province under the RNHeals project for registered nurses and midwives.

These RNheals nurses and midwives shall be assigned in Department of Health hospitals, or Rural Health Units (RHU) as pre-service trainees for one year from January to December 2013.

Bernadette Andaya, Kalinga CHD team head, said that 56 nurses and 18 midwives were hired under the program. Tabuk was assigned the most so-called pre-service trainees, with 13 nurses and six midwives, followed by Pinukpuk with seven and three, respectively. Tanudan was given four nurses and three midwives, while Rizal, Pasil and Balbalan were each assigned seven nurses and two midwives.

The town of Lubuagan was assigned six nurses and five to Tinglayan, but both had no assigned midwives.

“Nurses will work for the first six months in RHUs and in barangay health stations for the next six months,” Andaya said.

For midwives, they will work at rural health agencies for six months and to birthing homes for another six months.

“Midwives assigned to municipalities without birthing homes will work at district hospitals,” she said, adding that “since Tanudan has no district hospital, midwives under RNHeals will report to the provincial hospital.”

Municipal health offices directly supervise RNHeals nurses and midwives, while CHD takes charge of administrative matters. Nurses and midwives will receive monthly allowance/stipend of P8,000 and P6,000, respectively with the local government unit.