Friday, December 08, 2006 Potential agreement not threat to nurses
IF nurses from all 10 Asean countries are free to move around and practice their profession, would the competition not place Filipino nurses at a disadvantage?
Definitely not, said Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Luis Cruz, who described the Filipino nursing services as “the better brand.”
Cruz also does not think that the controversy over the alleged leakage during the June 2006 nursing board exams will be an issue when the heads of states tackle the Philippine-initiated Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) for nurses.
“The Filipino nurses are known for their expertise, skills and knowledge. We are known for being caring people,” said Cruz.
Cruz is the assistant secretary-general for the substantive committee of the 12th Asean summit.
If the MRA is approved, this would mean that the nurses from one country will no longer have to take exams in other Asean countries for their license to be recognized or for them to be able to practice their profession.
The arrangement will also address the current situation where Filipino nurses work in other countries with jobs way below their skills.
In the previous summit, an MRA was approved for engineers. Plans are being considered for a similar agreement for architecture and accounting graduates in future summits.
The Asean bands together Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Cruz said there is a demand for Filipino nurses in Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei. Many Filipino nurses already work in these countries.
Aside from the MRA for nurses, the Philippines is also pushing for the signing of the Migrant Workers Agreement that will provide for the “protection and the rights and welfare in general” of unskilled Filipinos in Asean countries. (JPM)
