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Filipino Nurses Support Group Press Statement
Nurses Week: Filipino nurses and other foreign-trained nurses contribute to patient safety
May 9, 2005
On Thursday, May 12, 12 noon at the Vancouver Art Gallery (Robson
side),
Filipino nurses along with members of the Filipino community and other
communities, and supporters will commemorate National Nurses Week and
International Nurses Day by holding a public rally.
The rally will raise public awareness about the issue of the
privatization of health care and the glaring lack of political will of
the provincial government to recognize the large pool of
foreign-trained
Filipino nurses that are being blocked from entering the nursing
workforce.
Since the 1990's, the majority of Philippine-trained nurses have come
into the country under Canada Immigration's Live-in Caregiver Program
(LCP) to do live-in domestic work, 24-hour home support and care-giving
work for Canadian families who can afford private live-in service.
Filipino migrant nurses under the LCP hold precarious temporary work
visas for at least two years and earn as little as $2.00 per hour.
"Our presence as highly-skilled and educated nurses doing domestic work
in Canada is part of B.C.'s on-going scheme to privatize its health
care
system," maintains Leah Diana of the Filipino Nurses Support Group
(FNSG), "As hospital beds are being closed, we are filling the gap by
providing private home care at a very cheap price," continues Diana.
"Nurses are being brought to care for the elderly and people with
disabilities under the LCP, it is no wonder that 5000 public hospital
beds have been closed to the elderly," adds Diana, "Where are those
that
need the hospital beds going?" asks Diana, "Those that can afford it
are
going back home and are being cared for by Philippine-trained nurses
who
are trapped as domestic workers under the LCP. With the LCP, affluent
Canadian families can get a foreign-trained nurse to care for their
elderly, while paying them the wages of a domestic worker," she
concludes.
The rally will also target provincial politicians and bureaucrats for
their habitual lack of political will to address the presence of
Filipino nurses trapped in the LCP. The BC PNP, the provincial-federal
project that fast-tracks immigration process of foreign-trained nurses,
has been ineffective in meeting the numbers of nurses needed to
alleviate the nursing shortage and prioritizing the applicants of
foreign-trained nurses already in the province, especially Filipino
nurses under the LCP.
For the last 10 years, FNSG has been providing community-based programs
for its over 500 members and contacts of Philippine-trained nurses in
BC. These community programs have proven successful - over 160 members
have become registered nurses in BC, 10 of whom have recently passed
the
national nursing exam in January 2005.
"Despite FNSG's track record of effectively supporting their members to
become registered nurses in B.C., provincial politicians have still
made
no concerted effort to support such successful community-based
efforts,"
states Cecilia Diocson, registered nurse and Chair of the National
Alliance of Philippine Women in Canada, "We've met with countless
provincial bureaucrats and politicians from the Ministry of Health,
Labour, Community, Aboriginal and Women Services to no avail," Diocson
concludes
"Recognizing foreign-trained nurses under the LCP and supporting
successful community-based initiatives is a cost effective strategy to
alleviating the nursing shortage for the short-term and long-term.
Filipino Nurses Support Group Rally
Vancouver Art Gallery (Robson Side)
Thursday, May 12, 2005
12:00 noon
For more information contact fnsg@kalayaancentre.net or 604-255-6870 
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