Nurses, midwives welcome Labatt’s reintegration, skills upgrade offer

De la Torre with nurses.

By Daisy CL Mandap

Filipino nurses and midwives working as domestic helpers in Hong Kong have welcomed recent moves by Labor Attache Jalilo de la Torre to get them to fill up jobs in their chosen field in the Philippines or in other countries abroad.
At an initial meeting called by Labatt de la Torre on May 15, a total of 62 nurses and 26 midwives showed up for a briefing on what jobs are on offer, should they decide to reintegrate back home, or practice their profession in other countries.
Since then, they have been looking at various means to upgrade their skills so they could meet the required qualifications for the jobs that are available.
Labatt de la Torre said those who showed up at the meeting, especially the registered nurses, were "very enthusiastic" about the job prospects.
The midwives, on the other hand, pressed for another licensure examination to be held in Hong Kong, and for help in setting up birthing clinics in the Philippines which they are allowed to run as an alternative occupation.
For the nurses, high on the list of options is the chance to be placed for a nursing job in the Philippines under the Nurses Deployment Program, which is said to offer a "competitive" monthly salary.
Under this scheme, 35,000 nurses will de employed in regional health units and barangay health centers nationwide. The only drawback is that the contract will only be for a year.
However, those looking forward to working as a nurse in other countries could use the time to check our various options, then complete the application process from back home.
De la Torre told the nurses that among the countries that are recruiting foreigners for nursing jobs are Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Saudi Arabia and Canada
"Germany is the best new market for temporary work. But if you're looking at the pathway of migration, it's either Australia, New Zealand or Canada," he said.
The positive feedback from the nurses prompted de la Torre to suggest that a Facebook page be created so they could communicate with each other more quickly and widely. He even added  his own daughter, who is a nursing practitioner in Australia, to the group so she can give advice to the Hong Kong-based nurses.
De la Torre said the recruitment for foreign nurses in Australia is through the "temporary work program or the permanent visa or independent skills migration". But he said there has always been a high demand for nurses in the country
In either case, however, a qualified nurse still needs to go through a "bridging course" which could run from between three months to a year.  The cost is quite steep, at upwards of AUD12,000 ($66,720) for the three-month course.
"Kung nag bridging course ka na, you will be allowed to work," said de la Torre.
However, the amount of money involved in getting qualified for a nursing job in another destination apart from the long waiting time is just one part of the problem. More troubling for those contemplating on going home is the prospect of giving up their job in Hong Kong so they could apply from the Philippines, given the policy against third country deployment.
"Many nurses are hesitant to do this because they will have to give up a job that pays well just so they could comply with the government requirement that they need to apply for the job from the Philippines," said Lorna Pagaduan, president of the dormant organization, Filipino Nurses Association Hong Kong.
She said it would be better if the government would allow them to apply from Hong Kong at least. Then when they they get confirmation of a job availability they could go home and process their papers from there.
For most, especially those who are not RN (registered nurses) yet, the bigger concern is to have another nursing licensure examination in Hong Kong.
After the dismal result of the first ever NLE in HK in 2009, when only 2 of the 90 examinees passed, the board exam has not been held here since, unlike the one for teachers which takes place almost every year.
The nurses' core group is now asking those interested in taking the NLE to sign a petition letter to the Professional Regulation Commission so the test can be held as proposed by June next year. Copies of the petition are available at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office or at the Metrobank office, both in Admiralty.

De la Torre with midwives.

The same petition has been pursued by the midwives for the past few months. Those who have yet to pass the midwifery licensure examination are anxious to get the required qualification, especially with the prospect that they could operate their own lying-in clinics in the country once they become licensed practitioners.
Brenda Atrero, president of the Integrated Midwives Association of the Philippines Hong Kong chapter, said they are also asking the government to provide jobs for them in barangay health centers or other local government units.
They also want help in putting up the Php300,000 needed to set up their own birthing clinics.
A second meeting between Labatt de la Torre and the midwives has been set for June 5, as they were not able to discuss all their concerns during the initial round of talks due to a lack of time.