Inadequate salaries and bad working conditions drive Filipino nurses to seek employment in other countries, including Europe, the Middle East and the US. In 2013, the Philippines and Germany signed an agreement that allows Filipino health workers to get an employment in Germany.
The average salary for nurses in a government hospital is around $250 (€228) to $350 (€319) per month. In private hospitals, it ranges from $200 to $250 per month. Last year, the Supreme Court set the minimum monthly salary for nurses in public hospitals at $600 per month. It has not been implemented.
"You can't blame our nurses for leaving the county. The government needs to improve their working conditions and increase their salaries so that they can stay," said Maristela Abenojar, president of the Filipino Nurses United (FNU) association.
The average salary for nurses in a government hospital is around $250 (€228) to $350 (€319) per month. In private hospitals, it ranges from $200 to $250 per month. Last year, the Supreme Court set the minimum monthly salary for nurses in public hospitals at $600 per month. It has not been implemented.
"You can't blame our nurses for leaving the county. The government needs to improve their working conditions and increase their salaries so that they can stay," said Maristela Abenojar, president of the Filipino Nurses United (FNU) association.
Germany plans to bring in at least 75 Filipino nurses to Germany to assist in the country's fight against the novel coronavirus. The "Hessische Krankenhausgesellschaft," an association of over 150 hospitals in the German state of Hesse, reportedly said they "received a special permit" to fly in the Filipino nurses.
The Philippines Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello told DW that the move had been put on hold until further notice.
"Our nurses are needed more at home."
The Philippines has recorded over 550 coronavirus cases so far, but health experts say the number could be much higher due to limited testing facilities in the country. The virus could spread exponentially in the country in the coming weeks, they warn. The Philippines has only conducted about 12 COVID-19 tests for every million people, falling far behind regional neighbors like Malaysia — 422 people per million — and Vietnam — 159 people per million. Philippine authorities are bracing for a spike in coronavirus cases following a scheduled increased testing after the country procured 100,000 testing kits last Saturday. Earlier this week, private hospitals in Manila announced they couldn't take in more coronavirus patients as they had reached full capacity.
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