MANILA -- Filipino nurses still have the competitive advantage in the Southeast Asian region, an official of the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) has said.
PRC Commissioner Ruth Padilla said that despite the 2006 signing of the Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) on Nursing Services, other Southeast Asian countries have been having a hard time keeping up with the Philippine educational and professional standards.
“Nursing degrees in other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) only take two to three years; they do not have a full baccalaureate degree on nursing like we have,” Padilla said.
“Nursing degrees in other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) only take two to three years; they do not have a full baccalaureate degree on nursing like we have,” Padilla said.
With the signing of the MRA on Nursing Services, Filipino nurses now have easier access to employment opportunities in the ASEAN healthcare sectors. Under the MRA, licensed Filipino nurses will be recognized by the host country and will be allowed to practice their profession in ASEAN member countries and vice versa.
Padilla said other nations in the region have been sending their experts to the country to examine and study the Philippine's comprehensive degree on nursing. The PRC official said North American countries such as Canada have likewise been attracted to the quality of nursing services in the Philippines. “Members of the Canadian parliament are coming to the country to negotiate with the government,” Padilla said, adding that officials of Saskatchewan in Canada even invited local leaders of the nursing industry to an all-expense exposure trip to the North American province in November.
“This is a welcome development, considering that we have a current surplus of 400,000 registered nurses,” Padilla said, adding that universities and colleges in the country produce about 100,000 nursing graduates annually. She pointed out that Philippine government and private hospitals only have positions for about 60,000 nurses.
PRC Commissioner Nilo Rosas cited the need to continually improve the country's educational and training system to produce globally competitive professionals. “While we would be able to send and export professionals such as nurses, we should also be open to foreign counterparts working in our own institutions,” Rosas said. He stressed, “One important implication of this development is the need to make sure that our workforce is ahead with the latest trends.”
Source: PDI
