284 nurses leave for Japan

MANILA, Philippines - The first batch of 284 nurses and caregivers hired under the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) leave for Japan on Sunday, Labor Undersecretary Luzviminda Padilla said yesterday.

Several months ago, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Japan International Corporation of Welfare Services for the recruitment of 1,000 Filipino nurses and caregivers for the next two years. Under the agreement, an initial batch of 200 nurses and 300 caregivers will be recruited to work in hospitals and health institutions in Japan.

The Philippine government aims to have more nurses and caregivers deployed to Japan but hiring is expected to be slow because the prevailing global financial crisis forces health institutions in Japan to stop hiring new workers.

Labor officials said the Japanese government will assess the performance of the first batch deployed after which they will decide if they will hire more Filipino medical workers.

The new hires will undergo a six-month language and culture training, during which they will receive an allowance of 40,000 yen equivalent to P21,000 per month. They will be allowed to stay in Japan for three years, during which they will be allowed to take the licensure examination to become a full-fledged nurse. They will then have the option to stay for an unlimited period in the country to practice their profession based on an upgraded contract with their employer.

POEA Welfare Office director Nimfa de Guzman said they are now accepting applications for the fourth batch of Filipino nurses and caregivers to be hired under the JPEPA. “We are now encouraging interested nurses and caregivers to start registering online with the POEA and to complete the necessary requirement for processing,” she said.

De Guzman said the POEA will know by next month the actual number of nurses and caregivers to be hired by medical institutions in Japan. Those who will be qualified will undergo a six-month language proficiency training and will be deployed next year.