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MANILA, Philippines ? After passing the licensure exams, over 36,000 new nurses are now facing another hurdle ? getting employment that is also sought by 160,000 of their peers, an official of the Philippine Nurses Association admitted Thursday.
Executive Director Maristela Abenojar made this disclosure in a forum also attended by David Amess, a Parliamentarian from the United Kingdom and a volunteer of the VSO Bahaginan, an organization that seeks to address poverty through various volunteering development programs.
VSO Bahaginan and PNA are working together to seek the help of UK Parliamentarians via their Parliamentarian Volunteering Scheme which enables volunteer members to spend two to three weeks to aid communities in their advocacy.
Amess admitted that the UK would reduce its hiring of foreign nurses due to the worsening economic conditions in his country but added that there would still be work for those specializing in taking care of the elderly and in treating diseases like diabetes.
Amess agreed with Abenojar that such a situation was unfortunate because he believed that "Filipino nurses are the finest in the world."
Back in Manila from his 10-day volunteer work in the provinces of Ifugao and Nueva Vizcaya, the United Kingdom parliamentarian said that Filipino nurses were faced with either unemployment or underemployment.
He also noted how Filipina nurses and health workers were underpaid.
"The PNA has grappled with these problems for a very long time," said Amess.
Amess also regretted how some British firms exploited Filipino nurses and was set to "name and shame" them once he got back to the UK by asking media to help him publicize the list.
Amess said he met with Health Secretary Enrique Ona and Senator Pia Cayetano to discuss the inadequate health care services in far-flung areas of the country and the worsening unemployment of nurses.
Amess also brainstormed with officials from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and agreed to hold pre-employment orientations for nurses and to check the living and working conditions of nurses in other countries like Japan, where they were required to take the nursing board exam in Nihongo.
Amess vowed to follow-up on other VSO Bahaginan volunteers and push the PNA's advocacy of providing better health care systems, even from the UK. He said that he "would treat it with great urgency."
"I wish the Filipino nurses all good luck," said Amess who also calls them ?angels.? Karen Boncocan
