- Labor chief Baldoz says German officials told her they need 200,000 new nurses by 2020
- Majority of the nurses to work in nursing homes, specialize in geriatric care
- They also told her they prefer Filipino nurses
- Possible Filipino-German technical cooperation to provide local nurses geriatric training eyed
MANILA, Philippines – In a press release on the Department of Labor and Employment website, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz announced that Germany is looking for at least 200,000 nurses to round out its current shortage.
Baldoz, who flew to Germany and Europe last week, said she was told by German officials their country is need of 200,000 nurses within the next four years.
According to Baldoz, the officials also told her they prefer Filipino nurses.
“The officials have expressed preference to hire Filipino nurses,” she said; adding that they will be deployed in nursing homes and centers for the elderly.
To ensure Filipino nurses get the bulk of the demand, Baldoz said she’s currently mulling the possibility of a joint Filipino-German specialized training program for Filipino nurses under the two countries’ Triple Win Project.
“I have met with the officials of the BA/ZAV, the German Federal Employment Agency/International Placement Services; German International Cooperation Agency, or GIZ; and German Trade Union, Verdi, concerning an important aspect of the agreement, which was the possible technical cooperation on specialized training for nurses, such as in geriatric care, under the human resource development provision of the agreement,” she said. “I have been informed by Ms. Kea Eilers of the BA/ZAV about the World Health Organization’s and International Labor Organization’s joint Human Resource Development Technical Cooperation Program which the Philippines could tap for possible specialized training on geriatric care because we don’t have this in the Philippines due to the absence of nursing homes.”
Since the Triple Win Project took effect, 128 Filipino nurses have been deployed to Germany, with another 94 still undergoing German language training.
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