Migration scheme fo RP health workers lauded in Oslo gathering

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines' migration movement scheme for health worker earned praise at the Global Policy Advisory Council on Health Workers Migration Meeting in Oslo, Norway earlier this month. A report from the Philippine embassy in Oslo said participants at the meeting hailed the Philippine scheme as a model worth emulating by both receiving and sending countries of the world. "The meeting expressed admiration at how the Philippines has developed a cycle of management, from the initial stage of providing training and developing expertise in the medical fields, to assistance before departure and while in the destination countries, until their return to Philippine society where they are provided reintegration support such as capital and re-tooling skills," the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on its website. The Global Policy Advisory Council of the Health Worker Migration Initiative (HWMI) is a partnership between the World Health Organization (WHO), the Global Health Workforce Alliance, and Realizing Rights. It is composed of Ministers of Health and Development from both source and destination countries, as well as leading health, labor, and migration experts Philippine Ambassador to Norway Elizabeth Buensuceso represented the Philippines at the meeting last Feb. 3 and 4. Joining her were Development Bank of the Philippines chairwoman Patricia Sto. Tomas and Department of Health HRD Director Dr. Kenneth Ronquillo. Former Health Secretary Dr. Manuel Dayrit attended the meeting in his capacity as HRD Director of the World Health Organization. "During the meeting, Ronquillo presented a paper which detailed the Philippine experience on health workers migration management. Participants commented on the great effort expended by the Philippine government to institutionalize structural and societal safeguards to ensure that health workers who decide to migrate are adequately protected and cared for," the DFA said. Also, Buensuceso underscored the adoption by the Philippine government of an aggressive stance to protect the rights and promote the welfare of its migrant workers as a co-equal pillar of its foreign policy. The meeting also discussed the need to expedite action on the adoption of the WHO draft Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel. The Code seeks to establish ethical norms in the movement of health workers migration and ensures that both sending and host countries abide by these generally agreed upon practices. Norway presented its draft strategy on medical workers giving emphasis on its vision to become self-sufficient in supplying its own medical workers while taking into consideration the arrival of foreign medical workers. Norway admitted to having shortages of about 40,000 workers and 10,000 nurses by 2030. - GMANews.TV