August 17 Weekly Roundup: Moving Forward
We saw a number of surprising news in the previous week, starting with the approval of the world’s first COVID-19 vaccine, and ending with the Philippine government’s reiteration that the HCW deployment ban remains. In the face of all of these unfortunate events, one thing’s for certain: We are all still trying our best to move forward.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement that his country has approved the world’s first COVID-19 vaccine has blown everyone’s minds. Developed by the Gamaleya Institute in Moscow, the vaccine was named Sputnik-V, reminiscent of the Soviet Union’s surprise launch of the world’s first satellite in the 1950s. Predictably, the vaccine garnered mixed reviews: There are more than 150 COVID-19 vaccine candidates in the world and only a few have proceeded to Phase 3 trials (Phase 3 is where the vaccine gets administered to thousands of people), whereas Sputnik-V has acquired approval even if it hasn’t gone through the crucial Phase 3 trials yet. Because of this, the Philippine government is not only planning to source vaccines from Russia, but is also considering other vaccine options in other countries, like U.S. and China.
A few days ago, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III reiterated that the overseas deployment ban on nurses and healthcare workers remains, contrary to reports saying that it has already been lifted. Additionally, several Philippine senators are now pushing for the passing of the Advanced Nursing Education Act, a bill that many nurses feel is putting the spotlight on their further education, instead of the more important issues in relation to their low salaries and poor working facilities. Despite these, nurses may still find hope in the fact that the demand for Filipino nurses abroad remain present: Many of our clients abroad are continuously looking for Philippine-based RNs who would like to give an overseas career a shot.
One of these clients is 24 Care, a health care institution based in the progressive city of Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. RNs that have passed the HAAD / DHA Nurse Licensure Exam and that have at least 2 years of focused or combined experience in M/S, ICU, PICU, NICU or Ward may apply. Qualified applicants may send their CVs and updated HAAD / DHA Pass Letters to eunice.laynesa@abba.ph. For further details, visit https://applicant.abba.ph/vacancy/f7d3bv.
And because the demand for Filipino RNs is still around despite the pandemic, we’ve made the courageous decision to remain operational and continue serving our kababayans. The pandemic and the deployment ban have indeed affected our operations, but we believe that every nurse’s right to a fulfilling and well-compensated career is worth fighting for. That’s why effective today, we will be accommodating applicants, clients and partners online, as we have transitioned back to a total Work From Home arrangement for everyone’s safety. This means that you can continue pursuing your overseas dreams without having to visit our Mandaluyong or Pasig offices since we will be able to serve you through our social media sites; websites; email addresses; and mobile phone numbers.
Moving forward is not an easy thing to do, but it is much better than letting ourselves be completely dictated by the things that are already out of our control. The pandemic is a serious problem, but we can still change the narrative based on how we respond to it.
