Filipino Nurses are Needed in Kuwait to Help Improve Kuwait’s Health Services
Filipino Secretary of Labor and Employment, Marianito D. Roque, met with Visiting Kuwaiti Minister of Health Ali Al-Barrak met this week to discuss cooperation in the providing to Kuwait the nursing and technical medical staff it needs for its health care services.
After the meeting, Al-Barrak made a statement to the Kuwait News Agency KUNA that he is very pleased with the high level of expertise in medical and nursing fields in Philippines.
The Minister said that the meeting with the Filipino Secretary of Labor focused on boosting bilateral relations and employing Filipino nurses and other medical staff in Kuwait. The Filipino official showed great interest and understanding of the Kuwaiti ministry’s needs and assured that his country was prepared to help in this issue, Barrak said.
On the other hand, Assistant Undersecretary for medical services support affairs in the Ministry of Health Dr Yousif Al-Nusif, stressed the importance of boosting health services cooperation with Philippines, to benefit from specialized human resources of high professional standards.
Al-Nusif told KUNA, “The minister of health and his accompanying delegation’s meetings with the Filipino Secretary of Labor, included discussions on bringing specialized Filipino nursing staff to Kuwait.” He asserted that the Philippines is one of the leading countries in field of nursing, as it has 450 nursing and medical care institutes.
He clarified that the lack of nursing staff in Kuwait is due to the major expansion in medical services and facilities, in conformity with His Highness the Amir’s wishes to increase hospital capabilities in the country.
JPEPA - Good for Philippine Economy But Disadvantageous To Filipino Nurses?
Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement or JPEPA has been ratified by the Senate last week in spite of the many opposition and disgusto about it since it started in the lower house plenary. JPEPA boasts to help the ailing economic relationship with Japan heal its wounds.
Senators approving the treaty believed JPEPA needs to be ratified, otherwise, Japanese foreign direct investment and earnings from Philippine exports to Japan may go to other Southeast Asian countries where Japan has economic partnership agreements.
But why is there a lot of opposition to this so-called economic treaty?
Concerned groups and oppositors have expressed their concerns on the treaty even before this came to the Senate for debate. The contention is that it is unconstitutional since it violates the protectionist provisions in the Constitution. And the group that will be affected are Filipino nurses who wants to work in Japan.
The detractors believed that this same treaty will also become a “template” for other developed countries to exploit our OFWs particularly Pinoy nurses in exchange for economic and trade exchanges. And you know that we reported earlier that even the Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) supports the call to junk the JPEPA during the legislative deliberation.
The impact is debilitating for most of our ordinary countrymen seeking healthcare-related jobs in Japan. For nurses, they will first work and get paid as trainees while preparing for the nursing licensure exam in the Japanese language. If they fail to pass the exam within a three-year period, they will have to return to the Philippines.
The treaty compromises Filipino nurses’ labor standards, job security, migrant and labor rights, benefits and wages, and other protection for healthcare workers and caregivers. Many believe that the trade agreement’s provision on labor services would compromise Filipino health workers and put them in a very vulnerable position.
16 Philippine senators voted in favor of the Treaty which is described to be as “onerous trade agreement.” Only four senators voted against the JPEPA.