20 January 2005 – Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs Jose S. Brillantes met with Ministry of Health officials of Trinidad and Tobago on 18 January 2005 on the employment of Filipino health workers.   Undersecretary Brillantes discussed the employment arrangements with Permanent Secretary Ronald Cooper and Deputy Permanent Secretary Ashford Sankar of the Ministry of Health, who were accompanied during the meeting by Philippine Honorary Consul in Port-of-Spain, Dr. Marie Advani.

The Ministry officials arrived in Manila on 16 January 2005 to finalize the recruitment of Filipino health workers for Trinidad and Tobago. (Pls. refer to Press Release SFA-AGR-925-05.)

The recruitment of Filipino nurses and pharmacists was the culmination of the efforts of Philippine Ambassador to Caracas (Venezuela), also Philippine non-resident Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago (Port-of-Spain), H.E. Ronald B. Allarey, and which arose from Ambassador Allarey’s meeting with Trinidad and Tobago’s Health Minister John Rahael in September last year.

Dr. Advani  informed Undersecretary Brillantes that Messrs. Cooper and Sankar, together with officials from Trinidad and Tobagos’ Pharmacy Board, Nursing Council and Mt. Hope Hospital,  are in town  finalize the arrangements and preparations for the deployment of an initial 100 nurses, 50 pharmacists and 50 doctors  in Trinidad and Tobago. Mr. Cooper, for his part, cited  that Filipino workers are well known for their world-class quality of professionalism, including in this case as health practitioners, and their proficiency in the English language.

Mr. Sankar stated the urgent need for the hiring of these workers, which according to him, is projected to be on a long-term basis, as a total of 500 of these health workers will be recruited in the very near future.

Undersecretary Brillantes expressed appreciation for the recognition on the quality and capability given by Trinidad and Tobago on the country’s health workers.   Both Undersecretary Brillantes and Mr. Cooper agreed that the bilateral undertaking is a “win-win” situation for both countries, the project being another milestone in the country’s over-all conduct of its foreign policy, particularly in its task of economic diplomacy; and in the progress and development of Trinidad and Tobago. END
 

/jay