MANILA, 3 May 2008 — Finland, one of the largest and sparsely populated countries in Northern Europe, has opened its door to Filipino healthcare professionals such as nurses, practical nurses and caregivers.

A pilot group of eight Filipino nurses, four males and four females, arrived in Finland recently to receive further training leading to competence-based qualification of a practical nurse in Finland. Practical nurses are trained to have the initial skills of nurses and full responsibilities of caregivers in the Philippines.

Philippine Ambassador to Sweden Maria Zeneida Angara Collinson reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila that she met with Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb, Minister of Employment and the Economy Tarja Cronberg and several other high-ranking officials responsible for health care and migration in a visit to Finland.

She said she discussed the Philippines readiness to be a partner in helping alleviate the critical shortage of nurses and other healthcare professionals in Finland.

Finland is widely expected to be one of the first European countries to experience a demographic shock as an estimated 900,000 of its “baby boom” generation reach retirement age within the next twelve years.

With insufficient birth rates to offset the country’s rapidly ageing population, the ensuing decline in the working-age population is predicted to lead to rising pensions and deteriorating healthcare services.

Ambassador Collinson said that the Philippine government has proposed to send a mission to Finland led by officials of the Department of Labor and Employment to discuss the need for a bilateral agreement on labor.

During her visit to Helsinki, Finland’s capital, Ambassador Collinson has asked the Helsinki Region Chamber of Commerce to hold promotional and business matching activities on the Philippines’ health and wellness industry.

A Finnish healthcare and social care manpower company plans to hire an initial batch of 100 nurses from the Philippines next year and in 2009, the ambassador said.

This pilot group of nurses will travel to Finland in 2008 to undergo Finnish training and language studies in preparation for their employment that will entitle them to benefits and other privileges enjoyed by their Finnish counterparts, she disclosed.

The eight Filipino nurses were recruited by Finnish health care company Esperi Care and have spent the past two weeks getting acquainted with Finnish life and filing the paperwork for social security numbers, bank accounts, and even bus passes.

The nurses have been accommodated in two separate apartments of about 70 square meters each.

The Helsingin Sanomat newspaper reported that the starting salary for a nurse in Finland is 1,600 euros or P105,072 per month.

Known as an export product of the Philippines because the government has been scouting for established market for nurses wishing to work abroad, more healthcare professionals are enticed to be deployed to foreign countries.

“Working abroad is much more common in the Philippines than here with us,” said Esperi Care’s chief executive, Marja Aarnio-Isohanni, said.

The Helsingin Sanomat further reported that the nurses will be deployed around the Helsinki region and will work as assistants under an apprenticeship plan for the first six months. It is also expected that Esperi Care will offer them a two-year contract after the apprenticeship.

As of 2003, there were 580 Filipinos in Finland; 505 of said number are Filipino citizens.

All the Nordic countries, including Finland, accept Filipino workers, mainly in the shipping industry.