Baldoz meets with Filipino nurses, caregivers in Japan

Labor chief Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz met this week with Filipino nurses and caregivers who were deployed under the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA).

Baldoz is in Kyoto, Japan for the 15th International Labor Organization (ILO) Asia and the Pacific Regional Meeting.

According to news from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), she said the nurses expressed sincere appreciation for the efforts and assistance extended by their Japanese employers to prepare them for the licensure examination, which they must pass to qualify as registered nurses in Japan.

At the same time, the nurses expressed apprehension over the difficulty of passing the exam. They suggested that steps should be taken by Japanese authorities to use both Kanji and Hiragana–and even possibly English–translations of technical terms, to increase their chances of passing.

With the JPEPA due for a general review early next year, Baldoz expressed optimism for a level playing field in the deployment of nurses and caregivers to Japan, including the standardized implementation of their employment contracts by Japanese hospitals and healthcare facilities.

Image from Microsoft Office website.