Forum Support Mike J Posted February 24, 2021 Forum Support Posted February 24, 2021 I wonder what the exchange rate will be? Time to get those nurses out from under the mattress? https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/02/24/21/why-not-palace-welcomes-dole-offer-to-trade-nurses-for-covid-19-vaccine-donations MANILA — Malacañang on Wednesday welcomed the labor department's offer to let thousands of health care workers, mostly nurses, take jobs in the United Kingdom and Germany if the two countries agreed to donate COVID-19 vaccines. Alice Visperas, director of the labor department's international affairs bureau, said the Philippines was open to lifting the cap on health workers' overseas deployment in exchange for vaccines from Britain and Germany, which it would use to inoculate outbound workers and hundreds of thousands of Filipino repatriates. Labor department offers Filipino nurses in exchange for vaccines from Britain, Germany The Philippines has ordered enough coronavirus shots for its adult population, Palace spokesman Harry Roque said, when asked to react to this statement. Still, he was open to the idea. "Pero siyempre kung mas maraming supply pa ang makukuha natin, bakit hindi?," he told reporters in an online briefing. (But of course, if we can get more supplies, why not?) The idea for the offer did not come from President Rodrigo Duterte, but rather, from Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III and Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr, said Roque. "Wini-welcome din natin [ito] because more is better than less," he said. (We welcome this because more is better than less.) The Philippines earlier relaxed a ban on deploying its health care workers overseas, but still limits the number of medical professionals leaving the country to 5,000 a year. The proposal to provide more Filipino nurses to Europe in exchange for COVID-19 vaccines is "insensitive and dehumanizing," said former vice president Jejomar Binay. "Our nurses are not commodities to be traded," Binay, also former presidential adviser on OFW affairs, said in a statement. Nurses are among the millions of Filipinos who work overseas, providing in excess of $30 billion a year in remittances vital to the country's economy. Britain said there were 11,000 more nurses working in the National Health Service than last year. It said that while it was grateful to the 30,000 Filipinos working for the NHS, Britain did not need to trade vaccines for more. "We have no plans for the UK to agree to a vaccine deal with the Philippines linked to further recruitment of nurses," a health ministry spokeswoman said, citing Prime Minister Boris Johnson's pledge to share spare shots later in the year. "We have confirmed that we will share any surplus vaccines in the future - for example through the COVAX international procurement pool." The Philippines wants to secure 148 million doses of vaccines altogether, while Britain has ordered more than 400 million doses, six times its population. While Britain and Germany have inoculated a combined 23 million people, the Philippines has yet to start its campaign to immunize 70 million adults, or two-thirds of its 108 million people. It expects its first vaccines this week, donated by China. Calls to Germany's mission in Manila went unanswered. Britain has the world's fifth highest coronavirus death toll, while Germany has the 10th most infections globally. In 2019, almost 17,000 Filipino nurses signed overseas work contracts, government data showed. While Filipino nurses have fought to lift the deployment ban to escape poor working conditions and low pay at home, the workers-for-vaccine plan has not gone down well with some medical workers. "We are disgusted on how nurses and health care workers are being treated by the government as commodities or export products," said Jocelyn Andamo, secretary general of the Filipino Nurses United. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queenie O. Posted February 25, 2021 Posted February 25, 2021 I read that Mike, wasn't too comfortable about it. Today many senators slammed the idea. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum Support scott h Posted February 25, 2021 Forum Support Posted February 25, 2021 2 hours ago, Mike J said: I wonder what the exchange rate will be? As the saying goes, "It was worth a shot!" They tried to shake down the USA with the visiting force agreement, since that didnt work why not try and shake down the Brits 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy79 Posted February 25, 2021 Posted February 25, 2021 I can't see it taking off as a local trained nurse qualification means very little in the UK, plus many nurses have been furloughed as they have closed lots of standard wards and cut back on routine operations etc. The unions would be up in arms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum Support Old55 Posted February 25, 2021 Forum Support Posted February 25, 2021 This ridiculous plan simply reinforces the idea Philippines can't be taken seriously. The government had a placeholder for a large quantity of doses but refused to follow through and lost it back in September. They are hell bent on the ccp covid vaccinations IMO because $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. Or Xi knows something about the President. Or both. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
graham59 Posted February 25, 2021 Posted February 25, 2021 (edited) 7 hours ago, Mike J said: "We are disgusted on how nurses and health care workers are being treated by the government as commodities or export products," said Jocelyn Andamo, secretary general of the Filipino Nurses United. Quite right too. Outright blackmail, and using the already-suffering Filipino nurses as pawns. Meanwhile, in news today, 600,000 FREE vaccine doses were delivered to Ghana, through the WHO, as part of the latter's scheme to help poorer countries. Perhaps that is the direction where the little big man and his pals should be holding out their begging bowl. (Sky News) COVID-19: Ghana receives 600,000 free vaccine doses as part of global scheme The delivery comes eight months after the launch of the COVAX initiative - the World Health Organisation's global sharing scheme. Edited February 25, 2021 by graham59 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freebie Posted February 25, 2021 Posted February 25, 2021 UK said " Not interested ".. Germany didnt bother to reply. Sad headline for the Philippines if Bello really said that. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Explorer Posted March 1, 2021 Posted March 1, 2021 On 2/25/2021 at 6:38 AM, Freebie said: UK said " Not interested ".. Germany didnt bother to reply. Sad headline for the Philippines if Bello really said that. What is wrong with these people? If Cuba's Castro can send his people to Venezuela in exchange for Oil, North Korea's kim jong un can send his people to China in exchange for money, why can't PH's Duterte send his people to UK in exchange for vaccines? Oh wait... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry P Posted March 1, 2021 Posted March 1, 2021 19 minutes ago, Explorer said: What is wrong with these people? If Cuba's Castro can send his people to Venezuela in exchange for Oil, North Korea's kim jong un can send his people to China in exchange for money, why can't PH's Duterte send his people to UK in exchange for vaccines? Oh wait... I think that statement needs treating with the contempt it deserves Saying anything stronger would be inappropriate on this site even by my standards 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Peterson Posted March 1, 2021 Posted March 1, 2021 27 minutes ago, Explorer said: why can't PH's Duterte send his people to UK in exchange for vaccines? Who pays the Nurses for this or do they do it for free and DU30 gets the vaccine, No such thing as a free Lunch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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