The kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the few countries which extensively opens their portal for aspiring Filipino nurses to have a glimpse of an overseas experience. In fact, Filipinos make up the fourth-largest group of foreigners in the country. As doleful as it may sound, many of our well trained and highly competent nurses leave the comfort of their homes to venture and try their fortunes in a tight country with many religious and cultural restrictions, hoping that they would be able to suffice their family's needs and feed their children with decent meals three times a day.
Working in a foreign country is not like walking in a flower peppered park. You get to do things on your own, care for yourself when illnesses strike and prepare food even when you're dead tired from a toxic shift. However, as our culture is based on solidarity and "blood compact", Filipinos abroad tend to cohort in common flats or apartments and live like just how they do in their homeland. Amidst all of these, many of our countrymen still suffer from homesickness. Perhaps behind the fresh smell of money and much awaited balikbayan boxes, what could be the pictures of reality that they face everyday?
Mau, 36, has been working in a private hospital in Saudi as a Nurse for 1 year now. "At first, I was quite hesitant. I was afraid of where my fate could bring me. There are many uncertainties, especially it is a very strict country", She said. Prior to her arrival in Saudi, Mau have worked in a local private hospital in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental. She emphasized that working helplessly in local hospitals would bring her nowhere but to a field of exploitation and professional abuse. "We aren't paid sufficiently in our country. The workloads are atop of our capacities, and yet we aren't compensated justly. As much as we want to serve our countrymen, we can't. Our families are our priorities and we can't afford to see them suffer", She added.
When asked about their current situation, Mau remarkably mentioned the agony of working away from home. She explained that the stress related to her job is somehow tolerable, but homesickness could sometimes bar her down from functioning. "However, whenever I think of my family who depends on me, I try to pick up all my broken pieces and go into battle again." she sentimentalized. That's the Filipino spirit, indeed.
With the present horizon where everyone seems to be just right back and forth the kingdom considering the fluency of their gateways, more impervious systems are being implemented by various health-related governing bodies to regulate the employment process of foreign nurses. Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS), is the body which governs the practice of all health care practitioners employed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Therefore, all health practitioners, including physicians and nurses are mandated to register with the SCFHS. Another organization, The Dataflow, is an international organization which verifies the qualifications of healthcare practitioners. It operates in alliance with the SCFHS, but it is not a part of SCFHS. All expatriate nurses are required to have their nursing qualifications verified by Dataflow at least once. Cost is 380SR (Php4572.94) per qualification. Lastly, Prometric, is a nursing exam which must be passed by nurses from selected countries, which includes the Philippines.
"These further hurdles set by the government are due to the discovered pitfalls with the documents of some Filipino nurses who have submitted factitious certificates in order to make themselves qualified for the prescribed length of experience", Mau explained. It has been reported that a number of Filipino nurses have already been deported due to this malicious act. "We're still fortunate because despite these occurrences, the kingdom still welcomes our countrymen with open arms. I don't exactly know what charm us Filipino nurses have to them, but one thing's for sure, They definitely need us", she proudly stated.
Now given all these premises, it appears that the industry of nursing for the Filipinos in Saudi would still be considered "Alive and kicking", although the pathway towards Saudi hospitals and health facilities have been apparently narrowed. "I know it will be a lot more challenging now since there are stricter rules already, but I have faith that the perseverance and determination of our countrymen will bring them miles away", Mau said as a hopeful conclusion.
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