Terms set for health workers under JPEPA

MANILA Philippines - The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the deployment of nurses and caregivers under the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA). The MOU with the Japan International Corporation of Welfare Services outlines the technical details for such deployment. "Right now, we are concentrating on sending the first batch of candidates — around 200 nurses and 300 caregivers — and then we will see how they adapt to Japanese culture," POEA administrator Jennifer J. Manalili said in an interview on the sidelines of the signing of the MOU. She added that the target number of Filipino nurses and caregivers to be deployed to Japan is 1,000 in two years, consisting of 400 nurses and 600 caregivers. She said the first six months in Japan of the Filipino nurses and caregivers will be spent on language training. They will be given an allowance of $400 a month and will not yet be considered employed. "There are three tries to pass the licensure exam, but the exams are only given every February," said Ms. Manalili. The Philippine Nurses Association was not available for comment. Among others, the MOA states that it is only the POEA that may send nurses and caregivers to Japan. A processing fee of $425 per health care professional will be charged to the employer. Deployment starts this April. POEA said it will send profiles of the candidates to Japanese hospitals to ensure that candidates are contacted directly by their potential employers. Under the JPEPA, only those who pass the Japanese test for registered nurses may be allowed to practice in Japan. Hence, Filipinos who go to Japan but have not yet passed the exams are considered candidates. Ms. Manalili said that the base monthly salary for caregivers is $1,600 and slightly higher for nurses. Once they have passed the licensure exam, the salary will be equal to that of Japanese nurses. Filipinos who are employed under the MOU are guaranteed a contract for three years, provided they have passed the Japanese licensure exam. Those who do not pass after three tries must return to the Philippines. "After they have passed the licensure exam, hopefully they would be allowed to stay in Japan for as long as they want," Ms. Manalili said. — Emilia Narni J. David, BusinessWorld