TUCP wants ‘aggressive’ deployment of nurses abroad

MANILA, Philippines - The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) is pushing for “aggressive” overseas deployment of nurses, instead of semi-skilled and unskilled workers such as domestic helpers.

Citing the records of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, TUCP president Ernesto Herrera said at least 12,000 Filipino nurses were hired by foreign hospitals annually, and 85 percent of them are females.

“There’s no question that the Philippines is now the globe’s single biggest supplier of foreign nurses. They are the leading group of professionals that we send out every year abroad, mainly to the Middle East,” he said.

The other large groups of Filipino professional and technical workers deployed overseas are civil, mechanical, electrical and industrial engineers; composers, musicians and singers; artists and designers; physiotherapists and occupational therapists; teachers; accountants; architects; computer programmers and midwives.

Herrera said the government should develop new foreign labor markets for Filipino nurses, many of whom either remain totally idle, or have been driven to perform work that has nothing to do with their professional preparation.

“We have a large surplus of nurses anyway. Nurses are also less vulnerable to employer abuse because their skills are not easy to replace. In a way, Filipino nurses are naturally protected by their skills,” he said.

Herrera said domestic helpers are “extremely susceptible” to abuse or mistreatment not only because they live with the employer, but also because their skills are “easier to replace.”