Nurses in the Philippines work long hours and are being paid low.
Several attempts have been made in the past to address this through legislation. The most recent of these is Senate Bill 260 by Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan which seeks to have entry-level for government nurses pegged at up to Php30,500 from the current Php8,000-Php13,000.
This sad plight of Filipinos engaged in a very noble profession – healing the sick – has caused many nurses to go abroad with the UAE having become a destination of choice.
But not all have been successful.
“Maraming nurses din na pumunta dito sa Dubai ngunit hindi pinalad na makakuha ng nursing jobs,” said Amy Miranda, a registered nurse and midwife who also is adviser of the Philippine Nurses Association Dubai and Northern Emirates (PNA – DNE); and an FNAE member.
“Based sa kaalaman namin, mga hundreds din ang bilang nila,” added Miranda, who also holds a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) and currently pursuing a doctorate degree.
She said there were three main reasons why some fail in their efforts: They arrived on a visit visa; they have no experience; and they have no appropriate license from the UAE.
“Yung mga hiring kasi lalo from big government hospitals, are done through agencies mismo sa Pilipinas. So, yung vacancies filled na from overseas recruitment,” said Miranda, adding that, on the experience side, most UAE hospitals require at least a minimum of two years’ experience for applicants to be considered for a job.
Teresa Galang Lareza, current PNA-DNE president said OFWs who are registered nurses back home need to obtain license either from the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), Ministry of Health (MOH), Health Authority Abu Dhabi (HAAD) or Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC).
“Aside from professional license, the Philippine RN license, nurses here in UAE need to get a license from the government to practice as registered nurse. So, it depends on where they will work and the requirement of the hospital and institution. DHA is for Dubai, HAAD is for Abu Dhabi , DHCC for Health Care City and MOH is for anywhere in UAE,” Lareza said. She has been staff nurse at the emergency department of Rashid Hospital’s trauma center for over 12 years.
“They will not allow you to practice as registered nurse if there is no license from them. You’d be lucky enough to be assistant nurse or caregiver, but mostly they land in non-nursing jobs,” Lareza said.
Added Miranda: “All types of jobs. Yung iba nag-nanny, nag-reception, nag-cashiers, administrative clerk… all possible jobs na pwede nilang makuha to survive in Dubai.”
