FEWER PINOY NURSES SEEK WORK IN U.S. / BODY OF PINAY RECOVERED IN HAITI
MANILA, FEBRUARY 9, 2010 (STAR) By Sheila Crisostomo - For the last three years, the number of registered Filipino nurses taking the US National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) has been declining, indicating that fewer Filipino nurses are seeking work in the United States, a labor organization said.Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) secretary-general Ernesto Herrera said only 15,382 took the US licensure exam for nurses in 2009, compared to 20,764 in 2008. In 2007, 21,299 Filipino nurses took the NCLEX.
The former senator said there is a need to “build up the competitiveness of Filipino nurses in foreign labor markets.” One way is to shut down the 152 nursing schools previously classified by the Commission on Higher Education as “substandard.”
Herrera also proposed that nursing schools publish their passing rates in the annual licensure exam “so that buyers of nursing education may be guided accordingly.”
He said the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) should also provide free second-language training to nurses seeking employment in non-English-speaking countries.
Herrera also said that many nursing students do not get proper clinical training in hospitals because there are too many of them.
“Hospitals can no longer accommodate all our nursing students in emergency rooms, operating rooms and delivery rooms. There are just too many of them waiting in line to observe procedures,” he said.
“The capabilities of all state-owned hospitals, whether run by the Department of Health or by local governments, to provide superior clinical training to junior and senior nursing students (must be strengthened),” he added.
Body of Pinay worker in Haiti recovered from rubble of supermarket By PIA LEE-BRAGO (The Philippine Star) Updated February 09, 2010 12:00 AM
MANILA, Philippines - The body of one of two Filipinas trapped inside a collapsed supermarket in Haiti was recovered yesterday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported.
Citing a report of Lt. Col. Lope Dagoy, commander of the 10th Philippine Peacekeeping Contingent, the DFA said the body of Mary Grace Fabian was pulled out from the rubble of Caribbean Supermarket in Port-au-Prince three weeks after an intensity 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti last Jan. 12.
Fabian’s body was recovered by the Central National Equipment Retrieval team, assisted by some members of the Philippine contingent headed by Corporal Eric Dedales and Senior Navy Officer I Carlo Dangcalan.
Lowel Lalican identified Fabian through her uniform, hair and necklace.
Lalican is the husband of Fabian’s co-worker Geraldine Lalican who was also trapped under the rubble of the supermarket and remains unaccounted for.
Both Fabian and Lalican worked at the Caribbean Supermarket.
Fabian’s sister Rosalyn decided to immediately bury her remains at the National Cemetery in Port-au-Prince.
The Philippine contingent in Haiti is currently securing the Caribbean Supermarket area and is continuing recovery efforts for Lalican.
Philippine Honorary Consul to Haiti Fitzgerald Brandt is supervising the recovery efforts.
Philippine Ambassador to Havana MacArthur Corsino led the fifth and last batch of 32 Filipinos repatriated from Haiti that arrived in Manila last Friday.
That brought to 63 the total number of Filipinos that have returned from Haiti after the earthquake.
The repatriation program is a major component in the plan of action approved during the meeting of the Philippine Task Force for Recovery, Relief, Assistance and Repatriation in Haiti.
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
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