4 Pinoy health workers arrive in Frankfurt under PHL-Germany labor pact

The first batch of Filipino health professionals to work in Germany under the Philippine-German labor agreement that was signed March last year arrived in Frankfurt last December 15, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Thursday.

The group of four nurses will be working at the Nordwest Krankenhaus Hospital in Frankfurt as assistant nurses for the meantime. They will be promoted to full professional status once they pass the language and nursing examinations that will be given following a training within the year.

The DFA identified the four as Vanessa S. Preclaro, 25; Krystel Anne B. Sumido, 28; Eowyn C. Galvez, 26; and Mr. Ruel C. Galias, 50. Aside from Galias, who was recently employed in Abu Dhabi as a operating room and emergency room nurse, the health workers had no previous international employment experience.

“Before coming to Germany, the three lady nurses were employed as intensive care and operating room nurses at the Makati Medical Center,” the DFA said.

Under the Philippine-German labor agreement, all deployments to Germany must be coursed through the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).  

Pre-screened applicants are required to take the German language courses organized for them by the Goethe-Institute, the German Cultural Center in Manila.  

The four Filipino health professionals have passed the Certificate B.1 level examinations, although some of them have already finished taking the B.2 level course but have not yet taken the examinations.

A second batch of professional health workers is expected to arrive Germany this month, the DFA said. — KBK, GMA News