Angelite Nurses

Seeing no end to the outmigration of Filipino nurses and doctors, a former health secretary has taken steps to “tame the exodus” and achieve a win-win situation for both the Philippines and foreign countries employing our medical professionals.

For a number of years now, Dr. Jaime Galvez-Tan, former Department of Health (DoH) Secretary, has been working for partnerships among countries recruiting Filipino nurses and doctors.

Tan, who initiated an extensive study on the exodus of medical professionals and its effects in the Philippine healthcare system, has formulated ways to improve the situation by seeking bilateral agreements with receiving countries such as Canada, Finland and Australia, among others.

“I have accepted globalization and I have accepted that Filipino nurses are bound to go. Let us tame the exodus; you cannot stop them; that is their human right. Let us tame it,” said Tan, an educator at the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Medicine and founder of Health Futures Foundation, Inc., which trains community health workers nationwide.

Though lacking official government backing, Tan was able to secure on-going negotiations from recruiting countries such as Finland, Canada, Australia and Bahrain to establish a trust fund for health human resources development.

“We can turn migration into a positive force rather than a negative force.”

The proposed RP-Partner trust foundation seeks the adoption of a Philippine region such as Iloilo, Surigao, Agusan del Norte and Agusan del Sur with the recruiter pouring direct investments in its health system.

Tan is also negotiating for employed nurses to return to the Philippines after two years of service abroad to share their knowledge among Filipino nurses for a period of six months. “I call this brain circulation,” he said.

For nurses who may opt to stay and teach in the Philippines, Tan has asked recruiting countries to provide a Masters Degree scholarship to be provided by the state or the hospital where the nurse is employed.

Other negotiations in the “win-win” bilateral agreement include the provision of three nursing scholarships in a Philippine nursing school partner for every Filipino nurse recruited by the state or the hospital and the improvement of a healthcare facility for every 10 nurses recruited.

For 20 nurses recruited, a nursing school should be improved and for 50 recruited Filipino nurses, Tan seeks for the improvement of a training hospital.

Tan’s research shows the Philippines remains the top exporter of nurses to the world and the number two exporter of doctors, following India.

By JC Bello Ruiz
The Ministry of Health of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is in urgent need of more than 6,000 healthcare workers according to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).

In a post on its website (www.poea.gov.ph), POEA said the KSA-Ministry of Health needs 2,000 female specialized nurses; 3,000 female general nurses; 200 male and female specialists; 200 male and female general practitioners; 200 female asst. pharmacists; 200 female physiotherapists; 200 female dental assistants; 200 female medical technologists; 100 female infection control nurses; and 100 male and female respiratory therapists.

The 2,000 female specialized nurses needed are those with specialization in Intensive Care Unit, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Neo-natal intensive care unit, Hemodialyis, OR, MS, ER, and cardiac nursing.

Applicants should be Bachelor of Science graduates with Board License (optional for RT; with at least 1.5 years of hospital work experience; not more than 55 years of age for doctors and not more than 40 years of age for other positions; and preferably with Saudi Council exams.

Also needed are 50 male bio-medical equipment technicians or hospital safety officers. Applicants should be BS Engineering graduates with or without board license; with at least two years hospital work experience and not more than 50 years of age.

The 100 female infection control nurses; and 100 male and female respiratory therapists; and 50 bio-medical equipment or hospital safety officers have been previously posted, POEA said.

Deadline for submission of application is on March 10, 2010.

“Qualified applicants may personally submit a detailed resumé with job description, school credentials, employment certificates, original and photocopy of the first page of the passport and six pieces 2×2 recent picture at the Manpower Registry Division, Window M, Ground Floor, POEA main office in Ortigas Avenue cor. Edsa Mandaluyong City or register online at www.poea.gov.ph or www.eregister.poea.gov.ph.

Applicants are advised to submit original documents if they submit the requirements in person. “Those who will register online will be asked to present original documents for authentification of written information before forwarding the resumé to the employer,” POEA said.

By Rose Eclarinal - ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau
Like Filipino nurses who leave the Philippines to find better job prospects elsewhere, UK’s home grown nurses are also leaving the country to seek opportunities abroad.

To replenish their workforce with only the best, some of UK’s National Health Service (NHS) hospitals are going further afield.

The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust confirms its recruitment in the Philippines.

“Here at Princess Alexandra, we want the best possible nursing staff that we can recruit. We can’t recruit everything we need from the locality or indeed from the UK. I’m quite excited about going to other parts of the world including the Philippines. Hopefully, lots of nurses will sign up and they will have a very warm welcome here when they arrive,” said the chairman of Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust, Gerald Coteman.

Pinoy nurses as valuable assets

It is not the first time the hospital has recruited Filipino nurses to join its work force, and it very pleased so far with the nurses that have joined its work pool, especially with the quality of patient care and work ethics Filipinos have brought with them.

Executive Director of Nursing/Patient Care Yvonne Blucher said the compassion of Filipino nurses in dealing with patients also sets a good example for their colleagues. She added that Filipino nurses at the hospital are “actually valuable assets to the organization.”

“They are very thoughtful, considerate in patient care, they look at the holistic approach not just of the patients but also of the carers,” said Blucher.

“The NHS has very good experience in recruiting nurses in the past including those from the Philippines. We still have nurses here who were recruited some years ago, and that’s the case elsewhere in the NHS, so we are very pleased to be able to go back to the Philippines to see if we can get more nurses to come and work in our hospital,” said Coteman.

‘Every area would accommodate Filipino nurses’

As a growing organization, there are various opportunities in the hospital for Filipino nurses, such as vacancies in critical care, theatres, the general wards like emergency medicine, emergency trauma, surgery, and pediatrics, among others.

“Every area would actually accommodate Filipino nurses, every specialty, we could probably accommodate, currently.”

“But they have to be of a certain caliber, of a certain standard that actually fit in with our (organizational) values,” said Blucher.

Nelia Jalandoni applied for work at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in December. She is now taking the adaptation course in the hospital. She said all the processing fees, including visa application fee and airport tax, were covered by the agency.

“Masyadong mabilis, actually. Nag-apply ako sa kanila, online lang. Pinadala ko yung curriculum vitae ko, right there and then tumawag sila sa akin, nag schedule ng interview. All it took was just 2 weeks, actually,” said Jalandoni.

Jalandoni is also happy with the continuous support she’s getting both from the hospital and the agency that facilitated her application.

100 nurses needed

Jai-kin Resource has inked the contract to provide 100 nurses to the hospital. But its Operation Manager, Nancy Cunniff is apprehensive that she might not be able to deliver the number on the agreed dates. She said recent applicants in the Philippines are not meeting some of the most basic requirements of the NHS Trust. Applicants are falling short of the mandatory IELTS score, which is a score of not lower than 7 for all the areas in the test for international English language proficiency.

“Ang major na problem nila ay yung pagpasa nila ng IELTS. They should have 7 score in reading, writing, listening, speaking, and once they are qualified, they can apply for NMC kasi yan ang number one requirement,” said Cunniff.

Cunniff clarified that the average score of band 7 for all the areas will not suffice.

Apart from the IELTS, a minimum of 2 years clinical experience in a hospital setting, medical and NBI clearance are also required. If applicants have met these requirements, Jai-kin will help them apply for their Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) qualification in the UK.

She is looking at bringing the successful applicants to the UK in 3 installments: by the end of February, last week of April and mid July.

Interviews set for February

Louise Barnes, who is the head of Elderly Care and June Barnard, Matron of the hospital are flying to the Philippines to lead the screening process.

They said interested applicants need to sell themselves to compete for the vacancies.

“I think it’s important that they are sure with their communication skills. Communication is very important in the way that they are dealing with the public, with the family especially in the hospital environment when people are suffering from stress, etc. so it’s very important that people’s communication skills are very good,” said Barnard.

“They should have a degree of self-confidence because obviously it’s going to be daunting coming across the UK and working in a new environment,” said Barnes.

They are a little bit too shy. They have the clinical knowledge but too shy in challenging us, the medical team,” she added.

The hospital has done it in the past and it is doing it again. Its recruitment of foreign nurses, which aims to diversify its workforce and cut the shortage of staff means opportunities for work in the UK for Pinoy nurses.

But the chairman said what is imminent is not just employment for Filipino nurses but a chance to grow both personally and professionally in a culturally-diverse working environment.

“It’s a partnership. It’s not just telling our staff what they need to do to develop. It’s also asking them how they want to develop, where they see themselves in 3, in 5 year’s time. We can have that discussion and we can decide and we can support their aspiration in terms of development,” said Coteman.

This new class of caregiver is booming, and quite unregulated

When Esther Heckbert told her mother she wanted to leave the Philippines to work as a babysitter abroad, her mother was leery. “She said, ‘babysitter? You’re done university!’ ” The two were folding laundry at their home in Isabela. Esther, who has a degree in business administration, had high hopes. “I said, a babysitter abroad can make a lot of money. From there, you can upgrade yourself: you can get citizenship.” For decades, thousands with the same profile—young, female, Filipino—have come to Canada to work as babysitters. Twenty-five years since arriving, Esther has helped rear dozens of Canadian tots: first as a nanny and then as the owner of a nursery school. But a few years ago, she sensed a changing wind.

She left babysitting behind, sought retraining, and now works under a more whimsical title: granny nanny.

She joins a growing rank of babysitters-turned-eldercare workers: a nod to shifting demographics. In 2008, just under 14 per cent of the Canadian population was over 65; it will be more than 25 per cent by 2044. At the same time, seniors are increasingly shunning the option once pressed on them: nursing homes. Now, most care to frail, older adults is provided outside facilities, says Norah Keating, human ecology professor at the University of Alberta. As more seniors stay home, we’re racing to import and train professionals to care for them. That dash has created a new class of caregivers, many of whom are undertrained, unregulated and unprotected—and with this a new set of problems.

A sizable chunk of that class comes through the same provision that allows us to bring in people to care for our kids: Canada’s Live-In Caregiver Program. Unlike other temporary foreign workers, live-in caregivers are eligible for permanent resident status after meeting program requirements. More than 100,000 have come since the LCP’s inception in 1992. Most are Filipino. Most stay for good. In the early years, the LCP was effectively a babysitter-recruiting apparatus for parents. But increasingly, seniors are turning to it for 24/7 live-in care. Back in the Philippines, women are catching on. Erwin Pascual, a Filipina immigrant who runs a private career college in Toronto, says more recruiters in the Philippines are marketing eldercare courses. “The demand started going up about seven years ago,” says Pascual. And supply has risen to match. By some accounts there is a backlog of applicants in Manila, biding their time.

It can be a treacherous wait. “There are so many bad agencies out there that are exploiting and taking advantage of these girls,” says Tova Rich, who runs the Family Matters Caregiver agency in Thornhill, Ont. Many charge the women “upwards of $10,000.” (The federal government is reviewing a bill that would ban charging caregivers recruitment fees.) Then there’s the problem of what Rich calls “phantom employers.” The LCP mandates a single-employer contract, and agencies may promise a candidate, and the Canadian government, a job that doesn’t exist, says Rich. By the time the woman finds out, she’s already paid the fee—or moved here. Last year Rich was asked by a Filipino caregiver to help her relative, a woman brought over for a bogus job who, without work, was forced to live in a basement owned by the agency. “We had to rescue this girl at like 10 at night,” says Rich. “We were horrified.

We went in and there were three or four mattresses on the floor. There must have been 10 or 12 girls, all talking and cooking. We said: pack your bags.”
That’s an extreme case. But the reality of Filipinas being recruited into the homes of sick seniors and asked to function as de facto nurses is in itself a sign of a subtler kind of exploitation, says Leah Diana, who works at the Philippine Women Centre of B.C. LCP applicants, she explains, need two years of post-secondary education and relevant experience.

And so, many are professionals: midwives, nurses, and even the occasional doctor. For Diana, that requirement, in combination with a system that makes it tough for foreign-trained nurses to get accredited, means we’ve created a flow of low-cost “unregulated nursing” into Canada. Employers seek out Filipino nurses through agencies, she insists: women who can monitor insulin levels and give injections, in addition to offering personal care. But officially the women are brought in as babysitters—and paid minimum wage. It’s why Diana’s group has launched an “End it, don’t mend it” campaign, aimed at scrapping the LCP. Playing on that slogan, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney has pledged to “mend the program, not end it.”

Deanna Santos, a lawyer of Filipino origin who advises live-in caregivers about their rights, likewise wants to do away with the LCP’s live-in requirement, as well as employer-specific contracts. Both, she says, can bind caregivers to abusive households. “Because of their desire to gain the prized permanent resident status, they endure abuses.” Allegations levelled last spring at Brampton, Ont., MP Ruby Dhalla brought some of these issues to the fore.

Caregivers working with Dhalla’s mother said they were forced to do chores like shining shoes and washing cars: tasks outside the purview of the LCP.

Dhalla has denied the charges. But lately, complaints of this sort have reached the ears of higher-ups. In December, the federal government offered proposals to revamp the LCP, including instituting an employer blacklist.

Of course, potential for abuse existed when the program focused on babysitters. But working with seniors can amplify strains. Dementia patients, for instance—a group projected to grow in numbers, according to a report released this week—are prone to violent outbursts. Albert Banerjee, a York University Ph.D. student, found 90 per cent of facility-based caregivers in Canada have experienced “physical violence.” The situation is similar in home care. Caregivers contacted for this story reported abuse ranging from racial assaults to getting punched in the face. “Many older people were raised in a generation where the Chinese were the enemy—or where blacks were seen as lesser people,” says Charmaine Spencer, a gerontologist at Simon Fraser University. “Many changed their attitude over the years.” But as they age, or develop dementia, “they lose their inhibitions.”

For all the pitfalls, Esther Heckbert found the eldercare field to be an attractive one. And so, a few years ago, as many former live-in caregivers do, she decided to advance to the next level: she enrolled as a student in a personal support worker (PSW) course. The official designation qualifies caregivers to work in nursing facilities, for one, where they provide basic care like bathing and meal preparation. Some Canadians are referred to a certified PSW by a doctor; in such cases their needs are assessed by the Canadian Association for Community Care, which allots an amount of subsidized care. Families can also approach agencies to hire one.

Thousands of Canadians get certified as PSWs each year. But even that process has its hazards, sometimes opening doors to unfit caregivers. Last year, a number of private colleges were busted for selling fake diplomas and graduating woefully unqualified PSWs. A Toronto Star story featured one school that passed students in weeks, versus the year it takes at an Ontario community college. Miranda Ferrier of the volunteer group PSW Canada says she’s had to “break the news” to PSWs that “they can no longer work [because] their certification is nothing. There’s no regulation,” she says. “None.” PSWs have no professional body, no counterpart to the College of Nurses. New trainees are not required to sit for provincial exams. The courses are not standardized, and can be taken at either community colleges or private schools. All this, Ferrier insists, leaves not only seniors, but also their caregivers, unprotected.

“The baby boomers are coming,” says Ferrier. “We need to be prepared. And we’re not close.” She started PSW Canada as a hopeful precursor to an official college. But the Health Professions Regulatory Advisory Council rejected that idea in 2006, deciding Ontario PSWs should not be regulated.

“HPRAC also concludes that the closest alternate form of regulation—a personal support worker registry—should not be implemented,” the report noted. “They said they already belong to agencies and there is a kind of oversight through that,” says SFU’s Spencer. The other view, she says, was that PSWs are too poor to support a regulatory body. “It was kind of a Catch-22. Because without a regulatory body they weren’t in a position to improve their conditions.”

On the job, PSWs are rushing to meet growing demand. Pat Irwin, an eldercare consultant, describes many agencies as “body shops of people,” where hordes of exhausted caregivers are pushed from house to house. The typical time slot for care is one hour. Kirsten Elder, an Ontario PSW, describes a shift: just enough time, if she moves speedily, to give her clients “a bath, make them something to eat, medication reminders for most. Once they’re dressed, the paperwork. That’s usually the hour.” The pay: around $13.

For many granny nannies, whatever their designation, it’s a labour of love. Esther Heckbert, for instance, has a few tricks for working with dementia patients. “I sing. And while singing, I do my work.” What songs? “I have to know the person! I’ll ask them what they like. We can sing together.” Kelly McHaffie, of PSW Canada, still finds time to nickname patients: like “Chickadee,” the lady who eats like a bird. This year, one of McHaffie’s beloved patients died. She went in on her days off to care for the woman: “I got into bed with her. And she put her arms around me and we laid there together. It was comforting for her.”

But often, in the rush of one-hour time slots, the “chemistry” gets lost, says Irwin; agencies are too focused on the “great market opportunity.” Irwin’s inspiration for her career in eldercare consulting—her own father’s struggle to find care—is admirable. But it’s hard not to flinch at what she calls herself: a “rent-a-daughter.”

By Rose Eclarinal
Fifteen Filipinos in Worcestershire, England lodged a complaint against the Healthcare Training Academy (HTA), a college offering Non-vocational Qualification (NVQ) courses, including Caregiver diploma, in Kidderminster, Worcestershire.

They claim they have paid the full tuition fee for their relatives in the Philippines to study in said college but none of them were able to come to the UK.

They are blaming HTA for failing to produce the necessary documents for the issuance of the student visa of their relatives. They also alleged that HTA wittingly misrepresented itself as a ‘legitimate college’ when, in fact, it is not accredited by the Accreditation Service for International Colleges or ASIC to accept foreign students.

‘I have been totally fooled’

Clive Marshall-Lewis is married to a Filipina. He was keen on helping his wife send her nephews in the Philippines to a recognized college in the UK. He found out about HTA and decided to enroll his nephews in the school.

“They offered a complete package: the people will be inducted in the Philippines, then they will come over here to study and all the visas and all the legalities will be dealt by,” said Marshall-Lewis.

He paid a total of £3,200 for the enrolment of his 2 nephews. But both nephews were not granted student visas to study in the UK. To this day, he is waiting for his refund from HTA.

“I’m English and I’m dealing with English people in my own country and I have been totally fooled. So what chance do other people have who are vulnerable, have no visas? This is the disgusting part of it. They are preying on people who are not familiar with our country and our ways and only wants the best life for themselves,” said Marshall-Lewis.

Eden Sumagpao had the same hopes for his relatives. He works as nurse in the UK and he wanted his relatives to complete a Caregiver diploma at HTA. He paid some £6,000 for three enrollees.

In the contract and receipts he showed ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau, the payment package for 3 students includes full tuition fee for the whole year, meet and greet facility at Birmingham Airport where the students will be collected, transportation to the accommodation, daily transfer from accommodation to college, and initial accommodation for the first four weeks.

But like Marshall-Lewis’ nephews, Sumagpao’s relatives were not issued student visas. They failed to come to the UK and attend classes at HTA.

“Same reason ang binibigay ng school (HTA), sinasabi nila na ang papers ay kulang at naghihintay na lang sila ng registration,” said Sumagpao.

Sumagpao decided to enroll his brother-in-law in another college in the UK late last year. He said he did not encounter the same problem he had with HTA. His brother-in-law is now in the UK, studying not in HTA but in another college. The payment he made to HTA has yet to be recovered.

Lourdes Gadose and Nenita Edge both paid a total of £2,000 for the enrolment of their respective relatives at HTA.

“They said if you pay cash, instead of £3,000 you only pay £2,000. So I paid £2,000. Na- check din namin sa internet na wala pala silang license,” said Gardose.

Harassment and failure to pay wages

Jurita Nicolas and Soledad Olarte were former students of HTA. They also have cousins in the Philippines who applied to study at HTA.

The 2 decided to transfer to another college when Nicolas’ cousin was interrogated by an Immigration Officer at a UK airport after entering the country from the Philippines. Nicolas’ cousin was also informed by the same Immigration officer that HTA requires the necessary permit and accreditation to operate. When the HTA management learnt about the airport incident, the 2 were allegedly “belittled” and harassed.

“Sabi sa amin, dalawa kami–you Filipinos, you know nothing (about the law here). Masakit sa dibdib,” said Nicolas.

“Sana huwag na rin silang mag-apply sa agency na partner ng HTA sa Pilipinas. Kasi yung iba nangungutang pa. Kawawa naman sila, di ba? Pinapangakulaan lang na ganito, ipapadala daw ang legal papers, wala naman,” said Olarte.

To this day, HTA has not issued them certificates for the previous courses they have completed at the college.

It was a different story for Babeth Aduana. She thought she hit a jackpot when HTA offered her a job to teach at the college. She was also promised that her student visa will be converted to work permit. But her visa was renewed. She also did not receive portions of her salary from HTA.

Aduana’s work contract shown to ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau stipulates that her work commenced on March 2, 2009.

“Ang nangyari, after a month, pinasuweldo ako. Then after 2 months, di na kami pinasuweldong mga empleyado. At nalaman pa namin na di nila nai-file ang aking visa na due for renewal,” said Aduana.

No Accreditation

The Filipinos found out much later that HTA, at the time that it was recruiting foreign students, was still in the process of securing accreditation from ASIC.

ASIC is a regulatory body for colleges in the UK that are accepting international students. Without the ASIC accreditation, HTA should not have recruited or accepted international students.

The Pinoy complainants said the “no accreditation” status of HTA is the crux of the visa problem for its potential students back in the Philippines.

In a separate investigation conducted by ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau, ASIC’s CEO, Maurice Dimmock confirmed that HTA is not accredited with ASIC.

The list of ASIC accredited colleges is also posted in its official website.

ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau also invited HTA to answer some allegations made against them, but it has not replied to the registered mail, e-mail, phone calls and various efforts made to reach its management.

Courts favor complainants

Nenita Edge decided to bring the matter to the courts of law in the UK. She filed a claim at the Kidderminster County Court to recover the money she paid HTA.

The decision handed out by the court in October favors Edge. The court ordered HTA to pay Edge a total of £2033.32, which includes interest.

In a separate claim lodged by Babeth Aduana at the Employment Tribunals in Birmingham, the Employment Judge ordered a payment of a little over £2,000 for “unlawful deduction of wages.”

Both Aduana and Edge are still awaiting payment from HTA.

Eden Sumagpao shows the receipts of payment for tuition fee from HTA/Photo courtesy of Rose Eclarinal, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau

Trading Standards confirms investigation

The Filipinos who claim they have been “duped” also lodged a complaint against HTA at the Trading Standards, a regulatory body for fair trading in the UK.

In a letter sent to ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau by John Dell, Division Manager of Trading Standard Service in Worcestershire County Council, it confirmed that an investigation is on-going.

“I regret that I am unable to give you any specific information on HTA other than the fact that we are investigating complaints made against them by Filipino students.”

“The complaints are being investigated for alleged offences under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations and possibly other legislation.”

“On conviction, the maximum penalty under the above legislation is a fine and up to 2 years imprisonment with compensation to any victim,” the letter said.

The Filipino complainants said they were enticed to enroll their relatives in HTA because of the good package and promo offered by the college to international students. But they failed to investigate and look into some details that could have avoided this problem.

BAY NEWS 9 -- With the currently shortage of nurses in Florida, many students are studying for a career in nursing.

But that's led to another problem: classrooms don't have enough space to accomodate all the students who want to pursue nursing as a career.

A new nursing school called Nursing Career Connections has initiated an online program, where a student can become an LPN after completing classes and a four-month trip to the Phillipines for clinical work.

The Florida Center for Nursing says by 2014 there will be more than 36,000 new nursing jobs available, but nowhere near enough people to fill those jobs.

Watch the Story

By JC Bello Cruz - www.mb.com.ph
The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Wednesday announced the start of the recruitment of the second batch of caregivers and nurses under the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) on the Movement of Natural Persons.

POEA and the Japan International Corporation of Welfare Services (JICWELS) said applicants for nurses must be BSN graduates with board license at least three years experience.

Applicants for caregivers must be graduates from any four year course and certified as caregiver by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA); or a graduate from nursing school with no board license.

The POEA said qualified applicants must personally submit the following documents to the Manpower Registry Division, ground floor, POEA Bldg, Ortigas corner EDSA, Mandaluyong City or register online at www.eregister.poea.gov.ph: A detailed resumè; diploma; transcript of records; Professional Regulation Commission license; employment certificates; valid TESDA certificate; original and photocopy of first page of valid passport; and one 2×2 picture.

“Qualified applicants from Cebu and Davao shall personally submit the above mentioned documents to the POEA Regional Offices in these regions,” POEA said in its website.

The Japanese government earlier said that it expects the arrival of the second batch of Filipino nurses and caregivers next year under the JPEPA.

Kazuhiko Shimizu, deputy director for Second Southeast Asia Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), said that the first batch of caregivers had already started their training in Japan.

Thirty Filipino candidate caregivers were sent to Japan last Sept. 27.

Under the JPEPA, Filipino nurses and caregivers have to take a two- to four-year school course in Japan. They must also pass the licensure examination to be certified care workers in Japan.

By JC Bello Ruiz
The Philippine government should ask Saudi Arabia to exempt Filipino nurses from the requirement to take the “prometric” exam to work in the country, the Migrante-Middle East said Friday, noting that the oil-rich country is the one that needs the services of Filipino nurses.

Migrante said the new qualifying exam required by the Saudi government is “an additional burden to Filipino nurses going to the Mideast.”

“The implementation of this new Saudi labor policy should not only be delayed, but should not be implemented at all by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA),” Migrante-ME regional coordinator John Leonard Monterona said in a statement.

POEA Administrator Jennifer Manalili had earlier asked Saudi Arabia to delay the implementation of the prometric exam, the equivalent to the licensure exam taken by nurses in the Philippines, to allow the government to prepare procedures for RP nurses planning to work in the Middle East countries to meet the new requirement.

“The POEA and the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) should demand from the Saudi government the non-implementation of the prometric exam as it is only an additional burden to our already low-paid OFW nurses hoping to land a job in Saudi. And the POEA/DOLE would be in a better position to negotiate its non-implementation as it is the Saudi government that needs our OFW nurses,” Monterona said.

“Even if it is to be shouldered by respective employers, the amount will eventually be passed on to the hired nurses by deducting the amount from their salary, like the US$25 Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration (OWWA) membership fee which should be paid by the employers, but being charged by OWWA to every departing OFW,” he added.

Monterona warned that the prometric exam would face “stiff” opposition from OFW nurses.

Saudi Arabia is the biggest market for OFW nurses, according to the POEA. Last year 7,955 nurses were deployed from 6,266 in 2007.

The prometric exam is now required by the Saudi Council for Health Specialties before one could work as a nurse in Saudi Arabia.

The exam may be taken in Saudi or in test venues in the Philippines.

In the Philippines, the accredited testing center is Thomson Prometric, Ateneo Professional Schools, 130 H. Dela Costa St., Salcedo Village, Makati City.

The examination is scheduled Tuesday up to Friday, with a fee of $90.

Filipino nurses are reportedly choosing other countries over the United States for employment. “The deepening recession in America has clearly diminished the desire of some Filipino nurses to seek employment there,” said former senator Ernesto Herrera, secretary general of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP).

Herrera said that a total of 8,272 Filipino nurses sought to practice their profession in the US by taking the National Council Licensure Examination or NCLEX for the first time from January to June. 

The figure, according to Herrera, was 1,565 fewer compared to the 9,837 who took the exam in the same six-month period in 2008.

Pinoy nurses are reportedly trying out other foreign labor markets particularly the United Kingdom and the Middle East.

“Actually, fewer nurses from India, Korea, Canada and Cuba are seeking US jobs as well,” Herrera said.

Nurses from India who took the NCLEX for the first time in the first semester were down 56 percent (to 750 from 1,715). Those from South Korea were down 35 percent (to 613 from 934); from Canada down 36 percent (to 314 from 494); and from Cuba down 38 percent (to 192 from 309).

The TUCP said that the four countries are the other top suppliers of foreign nurses to America.

In the whole of 2008, there were a total of 20,746 Filipino nurses who took the NCLEX for the first time or down 3.5 percent compared to the 21,299 Pinoy nurses that took the test for the first time in 2007.

Filipino accounted for 37 percent of the 22,500 foreign-educated nurses who took the NCLEX for the first time in the first semester, according to Herrera.

The Philippines now has some 600,000 nurses actively looking for jobs here and abroad, or forced to perform work outside their profession. They include the 99,837 who passed the local nursing licensure examinations from July 2008 to July 2009.

The government tapped 10,000 of the Filipino nurses and deployed them under the Nurses Assigned in Rural Service (NARS). It allows nurses to serve in the country’s depressed municipalities for six months in return for a monthly allowance of P8,000. - via www.abs-cbnnews.com

The U.S. nurse shortage is getting worse, but are more visas the answer—or would improved training capacity, working conditions, and pay do the trick?

For more than a decade, the U.S. has faced a shortage of nurses to staff hospitals and nursing homes. While the current recession has encouraged some who had left the profession to return, about 100,000 positions remain unfilled. Experts say that if more is not done to entice people to enter the field—and to expand the U.S.'s nurse-training capacity—that number could triple or quadruple by 2025. President Barack Obama's goal of expanding health coverage to millions of the uninsured could also face additional hurdles if the supply of nurses can't meet the demand. 

Some lawmakers are looking to the immigration pipeline as one means to raise staffing levels. In May, Representative Robert Wexler (D-Fla.) introduced a bill that would allow 20,000 additional nurses to enter the U.S. each year for the next three years as a temporary measure to fill the gap. If the bill doesn't pass on its own, lawmakers may include it in a comprehensive immigration reform package. Obama is slated to meet with congressional leaders on June 25 to discuss reforming U.S. immigration laws. 

Hospital administrators such as William R. Moore in El Centro, Calif., a sparsely populated town 100 miles east of San Diego, see the Wexler bill as a potential life raft. Moore is chief human resources director at El Centro Regional Medical Center, a 135-bed public hospital that typically has 30 open positions for registered nurses (RNs). While it's hard to lure nurses from nearby big cities (San Diego is 100 miles west), Moore says he could quickly recruit dozens of eager, qualified nurses from the Philippines if the government allocated more visas. "All we want is temporary relief," says Moore. "Let us get a group of experienced RN hires from the Philippines, and we won't ask for more."

 

By Danny Buenafe - www.abs-cbnnews.com
Despite the global crisis, Filipina nurses and caregivers are still in demand in the United Kingdom.

Even nurses who have not taken the board exams can qualify to work in a UK-based caring home.

The good part is that the British Embassy in Manila has shortened the processing of UK work and student visas. What used to be a three- to four-month processing can now be over in just four to six weeks.

Consul General Teresa de Vega and British Ambassador Designate Stephen Lillie were exclusively interviewed by the ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau.

“Meron naman po demand para sa mga nurses, para sa ibang skilled professionals,” said de Vega.

“I think it’s obviously an area of opportunity. How many people will be recruited obviously has to be determined by the health service here in accordance with points-based system,” added Ambassador Designate Lillie.

The Caring Career Training (CCT) Company is one of the four legitimate recruiters of Filipina nurses and carers into the UK through a student visa. It requires a minimum two-year school training.

The nurses and carers receive a monthly modest pay, which progresses depending on their performance at the assigned caring home.

Almost 200 nurses had already been recruited by CCT, and they appear to be happy with the training facilities and accommodation.

“May mga paperworks talaga. May mga workbooks, mga sasagutan,,, related naman sa work,” commented Joanne Timbol.

“Naghahanap din sila ng mga work plans namin pero hindi naman kami pinapabayaan,” said Sheila Gonzaga.

But CCT clarified that there is an initial corresponding free of 3,500 pounds (P300,000) to cover training, food and accommodation expenses including the visa.

This does not yet cover the plane fare which the applicant has to pay.

Jay Mariano, CCT overseas director, said, “In the Philippines, we do not receive the money. What happens is that they do the transactions straight to the UK. Para po may receipt sila .”

Based on statistics, there is an annual increase of 10 percent in the manpower requirements of UK caring homes. Unlike in the Philippines, the population of adults is much higher in the UK.

Apart from nurses, the Philippine Embassy said there is also a demand for plumbers and electricians.

Japan is wavering over its acceptance of foreign nurses and care workers. Filipino nurses and care workers have come to Japan in accordance with the Japan-Philippines economic partnership agreement (EPA), but their numbers are far below that initially planned. This is due to the difficulties in obtaining licenses in Japan, and medical and care facilities' reluctance to accept foreign workers as the government has implemented measures to encourage them to accept those who have lost their jobs amid the global recession.

The Philippines is the second country to send trainee nurses and care workers to Japan under a bilateral EPA, following Indonesia. Japan plans to accept up to 1,000 Filipino nurses and care workers as trainees over a two-year period, almost equal to those from Indonesia. The workers are supposed to work at medical and care facilities as trainees after learning Japanese and undergoing introductory courses for six months.

Nurses are allowed to undergo on-the-job training for up to three years, while nursing care workers are permitted to do so for the maximum of four years. If they take state examinations and obtain Japanese licenses, they will be allowed to continue to work in Japan. Those who fail will be ordered to go home.

The number of applicants far outstripped the number of positions available, but the number of those who actually made it to Japan was far smaller than it should have been, due to various problems.

Firstly, it is difficult for foreign workers to obtain licenses in Japan, as they are required to take state examinations in Japanese. The pass rate of state examinations for care worker licenses is around 50 percent even among Japanese applicants, and foreign applicants must learn enough Japanese to sufficiently understand the contents of the examinations.

Secondly, institutions that accept these trainees are required to bear certain financial burdens. The Japanese government foots trainees' travel expenses and costs of undergoing Japanese-language training, but medical and care facilities must pay for subsequent on-the-job training and wages. Bosses are reluctant to accept foreign trainees for fears they will get no return on their investment if they fail the exams.

But the biggest problem is that the government has not yet clarified basic policy on accepting foreign workers. The government maintains that its acceptance of Filipino nurses and care workers is part of the bilateral economic exchange, and not intended to make up for workforce shortages. It has failed to clarify the direction of the bilateral economic exchange in the future, which has discouraged the operators of medical and nursing institutions from accepting foreign workers.

The government estimates that Japan must double the number of care workers by 2025 as the population ages. To that end, Japan must increase the number of care workers by 70,000 to 80,000 each year, but achieving this goal appears unlikely. The time has come when Japan must determine how many foreign workers it should accept and how it should accept them, but discussions on the issue have not even started.

A haphazard approach will be deadlocked in the end. The government is urged to work out basic policy on the acceptance of foreign nurses and care workers and deal with challenges, such as hurdles for accepting them that have already surfaced.

The New Zealand Nursing Council has told Filipino authorities that the option for emigrating to New Zealand through the skilled stream for nurses will remain open, particularly for Filipinos.

While rumours had started that nurses emigrating to New Zealand from the Philippines did not quite meet the standard of nurses in New Zealand, the New Zealand Nursing Council chief executive has said these ideas are unfounded and the Filipino nurses will continue to comprise a substantial part of the nursing staff in the country.  

According to the Manila Bulletin, about 200 nurses are registered every year from Filipinos emigrating to New Zealand. 

The Nursing Council has also reassured the Filipino authorities that the success rate of Filipino nurses in completing their assessment programme and meeting the standards of the New Zealand nursing industry was impressive. 

Further, the slowdown of the global economy and tightening of the New Zealand immigration system will not affect the numbers of nurses emigrating to New Zealand from any other country, and that the Nursing Council would make it easier for qualified nurses to emigrate to New Zealand under the skilled migration programme. 

Firstly, the Nursing Council website will aim to get direct applications from foreign nurses (rather than through recruitment agencies) by providing complete information on their website on how to find work as a nurse in New Zealand.  

They have also ensured that the English language requirements for foreign nurses have been made simpler to obtain an IELTS score of 7 (highest band), by staggering the completion of each stage and giving applicants the option of completing their IELTS in their home country. 

Emigrating to New Zealand as a nurse is an attractive option for many foreign workers seeking employment, as the job opportunities in the health sector are plentiful and the relaxed, outdoor, safe and fulfilling lifestyle in New Zealand are factors that many people aspire to.  

Fortunately, emigrating to New Zealand as a nurse can gain permanent residence for applicants and can eventually lead to naturalisation, allowing foreign workers the same rights as New Zealand citizens. 

The New Zealand Visa Bureau is an independent consulting company specialising in helping people with emigrating to New Zealand.

Despite reports of discrimination, Filipino nurses are still welcome to work in New Zealand, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Thursday.

An article on the DFA website (www.dfa.gov.ph) said the assurance came from officials of the New Zealand Nursing Council led by Chief Executive Carolyn Reed and Registration Manager Andrea McCance.

The council executives met with Director J. Susana Paez of the DFA’s Asian and Pacific Affairs, Director Eric Gerardo Tamayo of the Office of the Undersecretary for International Economic Relations, as well Dr. Teresita Barcelo, president of the Philippine Colleges of Nursing (ADPCN).

During the meeting, they expressed regret at the confusion brought about by “erroneous” media reporting which questioned the competence of Filipino nurses.

According to the DFA, Reed said the remarks were made by other parties who are not connected with the New Zealand Nursing Council or the New Zealand government.

The executives also met separately with officials of the Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

Philippine Ambassador to New Zealand Bienvenido Tejano suggested the visit in response to the council’s expression of desire to undertake consultations with their Philippine counterparts, the DFA report said.

Filipinos constitute the second largest number of foreign nurses in New Zealand, with about 200 nurses registered every year.

McCance stressed that the Nursing Council has been making it less complicated for qualified foreign nurses to come to New Zealand.

Steps they have taken include providing complete information in its website and staggering the completion requirement of completing seven bands under the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) which include the option of taking the IELTS in the country of origin.

Low failure rate

Also, the Council officials cited a very low failure rate in the required competency assessment program, and observed that Filipino nurse candidates are able to successfully hurdle the prescribed bridging program.

The Nursing Council clarified that the issuance of residency visas is beyond the scope of their work, but a foreign nurse registered with them will present such registration in support of a separate proper residency status application with New Zealand immigration authorities.

It also encourages direct applications rather than coursing registration via recruitment agencies.

Meanwhile, the visiting council representatives were briefed on the role of the Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) and presented the Philippines’ Bachelor of Science in Nursing curriculum and the educational standards for registered nurses in the Philippines.

Reed said the meetings facilitated their understanding of the Philippine nursing program for purposes of matching course requirements.

The DFA encouraged the Nursing Council, PNA and ADPCN to pursue and adopt a practice done with other countries of having school registrars identify and match subjects with foreign government requirements on the applicant’s transcript of records.

This would also facilitate the evaluation of individuals who will practice nursing in New Zealand and that they are indeed International Qualified Nurses (IQN) suitable for the country’s healthcare standards.

“The meeting’s outcome assures an open line of communication between the council and the nurses sector in the Philippines, and augurs well for better opportunities for Filipino nurses and the adoption of relevant programs to further uplift the nursing profession in the country,” the DFA said. - via GMANews.TV

By Raymund F. Antonino
The first batch of nurses and caregivers who have been hired under the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) are ready to be deployed to Japan this weekend, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) said Tuesday.

POEA Administrator Jennifer Jardin-Manalili said some 358 nurses and caregivers have been given employment and training opportunities in Japan although that country is in recession at this time.

“The nurses and caregiver candidates for Japan will leave the country either on May 8 or May 9. They had reported to the POEA for contract signing and already submitted their respective requirements,” she said.

However, the number of recruited medical workers declined from the supposed annual target of 500 after some hospitals and nursing care facilities there reduced costs due to the global financial crisis, she added.

“Those applicants who did not make it but are pre-qualified can join the second batch of nurses and caregivers to be deployed next year,” Manalili said.

Under the agreement, the skills of local nurses and caregivers are matched by JICWELS (Japan International Corporation of Welfare Services) to the manpower requirements of hospitals in that country. The Filipinos also have to take language training courses for a half a year prior to their actual work.

During the training, the candidates who are covered by a job contract will receive allowances of not less than 40,000 yen or more than P21,000 per month. Their employer or the Japanese government will shoulder their travel costs apart from the onsite training expenses.

Manalili said the salaries of the newly hired Filipino nurses and caregivers are equivalent to the pay of their Japanese counterparts with similar tasks.

The POEA will commence the recruitment of another batch of 200 Filipino nurses and 300 caregivers for Japan under the JPEPA by 2010.

By Henni Espinosa
Filipino nurses are now fighting to save not only their jobs but also the hospital where they work in California.

The nurses rallied in front of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors Office in Oakland, last Tuesday to protest the closure of San Leandro Hospital where they worked.

“I work here for five days full time and I don’t have any other work so it’s going to affect me and my family,” said Filipino nurse Mildred Causing.

More than half of the 250 nurses at the hospital are Filipino.

“Kahit registered nurse ngayon mahihirapan pa din humanap ng trabaho dahil marami ang uninsured at sa palagay ko mahina ang bayad ng medical, medicare sa mga hospital,” said another Filipina nurse Dolorita Malixi.

The nurses said they want to save San Leandro Hospital because it is the only fully-functioning acute care hospital in the area.

“If we are not there then where will those people go?” said Betty Micu.

The California Nurses Association which represents the nurses accused Sutter Health of closing hospitals in medically underserved areas.

“I think this is Sutter’s modus operandi they come in and they purchase the hospital and they make promises to the community that they’ll make services open and they almost immediately start to plan how to close services in areas that have less insured patients, the underserved areas in favor of building up in areas where people are more affluent,” said the association’s spokesperson Jan Rodolfo. 

According to reports, Sutter said that in the month of February alone the hospital lost US$1.5 million. Sutter said that while it is still evaluating the hospital’s financial health, it said it’s clear that they cannot offer the services they do right now and stay in business.

Sutter plan to close the hospital on June 30.

Young Filipinos work as nurses abroad to send money back home.

When April Quirante graduated as the valedictorian of her high school in the small town of Sison in the Philippines, she planned to pursue her dream of becoming an accountant. But after a year of accounting, her family expected her to study something else. When classes resume in June, she will not be learning about economics, finance, or mathematics. Instead, she will enroll in nursing school and soon be expected to enter the demanding environment of an American hospital. Hers is a common story: Quirante is one of thousands of young Filipinos who study nursing with the intention to work abroad. 

According to U.S. Bureau of labor statistics, there are about 100,000 unfilled nursing positions in the United States today. The Bureau estimates that by 2020, there will be close to 800,000 more nurses needed than employed in the United States. As Western populations age and technological advances make more treatment options available, many developed nations are facing a similar problem and have begun looking to the developing world to fill the gap in nursing labor. 

According to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, over 13,000 Filipinos leave the country each year to pursue nursing as an economic opportunity abroad. A former U.S. territory, the Philippines has maintained an admiration for and a mutual friendship with the United States since the country’s independence in 1946. Mary lui, an associate professor of history and American studies at Yale who focuses on Asian- American history, told the Globalist that this relationship has existed since the Colonial Period. While immigrants from other Asian countries faced exclusion, Filipinos had far fewer limitations. Americans helped develop higher education in the Philippines, and nursing in particular became popular as it became associated with modern hygiene. lui explained that after the removal of country- based quotas in 1965, the Filipino migration to nursing in the United States “really took off.” Additionally, English has long been an official language of the Philippines, making Filipinos more attractive employees in the United States than comparable workers without English language skills. 

However, there has been some resistance to Filipino nurses, led in particular by the American Nursing Association, which views immigrants as being in competition with American nurses. Filipino nurses are often paid less than domestic ones: Many hospitals and universities bring in Filipino nurses under the title of “intern” or “nurse-in-training,” paying them less than full wages even though they work full shifts and bear full responsibilities. 

But dedication to the profession does not go unnoticed. Employers quickly detect which nurses are passionate about their work. “It’s a job that you have to really enjoy to be successful in,” said Maryknoll Quiachon, a Filipino nurse who left her apartment in Pandacan, Manila, seven years ago to work abroad in London. 

Originally a political science student, Quiachon pursued nursing after her family helped her realize that it would be her chance to join her relatives already in the United States. despite her stable income, Quiachon, a mother of two, lives in a cramped house with two other families and two single women. She sends a sizable portion of her income back to her mother and siblings in the Philippines. 

What is left is saved for her journey to the United States, for which she has been waiting since she left the Philippines. When asked about the decision to pursue nursing, Quiachon said, “There’s more than just coming to America on my mind.” Quiachon was only able to begin studying nursing with financial support from family abroad. Now with a sustainable income, she views it as her duty to help her remaining relatives go to school in pursuit of better employment. “My aunt and uncle helped me, and now it is my turn,” she said. 

Due to emigration of doctors and nurses, the Philippines has only one medical professional for every 15,000 citizens, according to the World Health Organization. Brain drain continues, leaving few to care for the country from within. Remittances to families make up a significant portion of the GdP, reinforcing the dependency on overseas workers. 

Paired with a foreign-focused education, this attachment to the American economy raises the question: How independent has the Philippines really become over the last 60 years? Meanwhile, with the lack of nurses in the United States only growing, American citizens may be increasingly dependent on Filipinos in return. 

Joe Bolognese is a freshman in Pierson College.

By Kimberly Jane T. Tan
Amid speculations that New Zealand is cutting down on foreign workers, the island country is still marketing itself to be a “choice” destination country for overseas Filipino workers (OFW).

Currently, OFWs in New Zealand are faced with the alleged tightening of registration for foreign nurses, taking into account the country’s assumption that Filipino nurses are not “at par” with their standards.

New Zealand Nursing Council chief executive Carolyn Reed has even previously expressed concern that the rapid increase in nursing programs in the Philippines has compromised the quality of nursing, prompting them make the registration for overseas-trained nurses stricter.

But Filipino nurses in New Zealand have branded the Nursing Council’s new registration rules as “prejudicial” and “unfair,” saying that it reportedly forces them to settle for unskilled jobs with minimum wage even when hospitals there are supposedly facing an acute shortage of nurses.

The new requirements, which took effect early January, requires all overseas qualified nurses – including those from Britain and other English-speaking countries – to face a tough English language assessment.

The Nursing Council now reportedly requires a score of 7 in each band of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test, higher than the current university entry requirement of 6.

However, the biggest problem for many Filipino nurses is the decision made by the council that those with nursing degree courses of less than four years will no longer be deemed eligible for employment in New Zealand.

Many Filipinos have taken nursing as their second course, shortening the time that they needed to complete it as they have already taken some subjects for a previous degree.

Fair assessment

Philippine Nurses Speak Out – a network of Filipino nurses and their advocates – has already started a campaign for the New Zealand Nursing Council to “recognize” the knowledge and skills of Filipino nurses.

It reportedly aims to unite Filipino nurses to speak out for their rights and build a “broad-based support” from the New Zealand public and concerned agencies in order to guarantee the rights of Filipino nurses to equal employment opportunities.

For its first project, the network set up an online petition where Filipino nurses can appeal for fair assessment from the council.

According to the statement posted on the site, many Filipino nurses were “dismayed” that many of them who took up nursing as second degrees have been rejected, despite some having served New Zealand’s health care industry “adeptly.”

“We note that some second coursers who applied before 2008 were approved by the NCNZ. Since 2008, second coursers who were declined are frustrated that their competence was questioned when they hold essentially the same qualifications as those whose applications were approved in the first quarter of 2008, 2007 and previous years,” it said.

The petitioners added that they do understand the council’s move to restrict the entry of Filipino nurses applying for work in New Zealand because they need to “protect” their local nurses amid the current economic crisis.

However, they still request that the council give consideration to Filipino nurses who have already gained relevant work experience in New Zealand and applied for registration before the changed in application process were made.

Moreover, the petition urged it to reconsider the registration of second coursers who graduated from schools that have a good track record in producing qualified nurses and that they offer training for these nurses currently in New Zealand as student nurses and consider the registration of those who are shown by this process to be competent to practice.”

On the other hand, supporters of the appeal of Filipino nurses may sign up for a separate online petition.

Training

Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) chief Jennifer Manalili has already pushed for a more stringent screening and thorough training amid complaints made by Filipino nurses over New Zealand’s tougher policies.

“[We have a] problem of access to training facilities. We [also] have to adjust the [nursing] curriculum,” she said in a previous interview.

She said that this is important because sometimes receiving countries demand workers with more training or work experience.

“You want nurses hired to be familiar with the equipment,” she said, adding that countries like New Zealand and Australia have high standards for the kind of workers that they hire.

Moreover, she said that nothing can be done against such decisions made by other governments.

Manalili added that the move to make registration stricter might have been done to give priority to other local and foreign workers with better qualifications.

“Just like in the Philippines, you have to compete with other applicants,” said Manalili.

Liability

However, some recruiters have found the new rules to be a “liability” to New Zealand. 

Rodney Faulkner, director of A1 Care 24-7, which recruits foreign nurses for hospitals and district health boards in New Zealand, has said in a previous report that the new registration is “stupid and will just add to New Zealand’s loss.”

He said that there was “a huge miscarriage of justice” when a trained nurse he recruited was not considered “good enough” for their country, even with the recruit apparently holding a doctor’s degree in medicine and topping his university in the Philippines.

On the other hand, the Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) told GMANews.TV on Tuesday that it has yet to receive any formal announcement from the council itself regarding the matter.

Still a ‘choice” destination 

Despite hiring issues surrounding it, New Zealand is still positioning itself as a “choice” destination country for highly skilled OFWs. 

According to Philip Burdon, chairman of the Asia- New Zealand Foundation, “there is a rapidly expanding Asian population in New Zealand and the country is definitely opening up to more Asians.”

He said in a recent interview that 11 percent of New Zealand’s population is currently composed of Asians and that by the year 2026, 25 percent of its whole population would be Asians.

Data from the Commission on Filipinos Overseas showed that there were about 23, 023 Filipinos in New Zealand in 2007 – which the POEA said was expected to have doubled last year. 

There was also a total of 362,014 Filipinos in Oceania (Australia, New Zealand, Palau, and Papua New Guinea) – majority of whom (about 250,347) are living and working in Australia.

The POEA has said that it is expanding the market where OFWs can go to – including New Zealand – but added that majority of Filipinos still prefer to go to markets like the United Kingdom and the Middle East.

As compensation, Richard Grant, executive director of the Asia-New Zealand Foundation, said that foreign workers would have no problem integrating in New Zealand.

“We are a nation that is in transition, where so many of our young people are moving across New Zealand or outside of the country. So, immigrants and migrant workers can integrate well,” he said.

Burdon also said that New Zealand can be a good choice for OFWs who are in the health care, hospitality, information technology, accountancy, law, and agricultural industry.

“We have high standards and demanding criteria, but that is to ensure that the standards in the country are met,” he said.