DOLE: More Filipino nurses, doctors can now work in UK

More Filipino health care workers can now take advantage of the increasing labor market opportunities in the United Kingdom (UK).

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the UK government has lifted its quota in giving visas to nurses and doctors under its migration policy Tier 2, paving the way for the entry of more Filipino professional health care workers to UK.

“The British government sees the Philippines as one of the best sources of world-class healthcare professionals, particularly nurses. We expect more Filipino nurses and doctors to take advantage of the increasing demand in the UK health care sector,” Bello said in a statement.

Prior to the entry of nurse-applicants to UK, they are required to attain an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of 7.0, and pass a two-part competency examination composed of Computer-Based Test (CBT), which is accessible in various countries, including the Philippines.

Also, applicants must take the Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE), which is done in England.

Based on the report from the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in London, nursing professionals continue to dominate the deployment profile of Filipinos going to the UK, with 1,446 or 94.9 percent out of the 1,524 OFWs deployed for the year 2017.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) is in the process of discussing the hybrid modes of deployment of Filipino health care professionals, based on the proposed draft bilateral agreement provided by the Health Education England (HEE).

As of December 2017, there are 75,787 Filipino workers in the UK mostly professionals and highly-skilled from the healthcare and engineering industries.  /kga