PHL gears up to be a prime destination for foreign retirees

MONDAY, 30 JANUARY 2012 20:55

NURSING schools in the country will now include an elderly care module in their curriculum in preparation for the Philippines as a prime haven for retirees.

The inclusion of a “care for the elderly module” in the nursing curriculum was proposed by the Foreign Chamber of Commerce.

Elizabeth Roxas, president of the Association of Deans of Philippine Colleges of Nursing (ADPCN), said the module will be pilot tested through a one-year program at the Baliuag University.

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“We can assist in developing the module. The World Health Organization has already made a study on this in the 1990s,” Roxas said.

This is part of the projects that the ADPCN and the foreign chambers-led Retirement & Healthcare Coalition (RHC) have agreed to work on in support of the public-private efforts to develop the country as a prime destination for foreign retirees.

Roxas said delegates will also be sent to the RHC-sponsored series of seminars aimed at assisting the Philippine health-care system.

“We have recommended to our member- schools that they attend the seminars along with their senior nursing students. The RHC seminars will be beneficial to those who are involved in the nursing profession,” Roxas said.

The ADPCN, with 450 member colleges and universities, is the biggest grouping of educational institutions in the country that offer nursing programs.

RHC Executive Director Marc Daubenbuechel said they welcome the support of the ADPCN to their projects.

“Getting all the Philippine health-care sectors involved is very important to us toward harnessing the potential of the country as a retirement destination,” Daubenbuechel said.

The RHC, composed of the American, European, Japanese and Korean chambers, is currently holding a series of one-day seminars dubbed “The Importance of Quality Management Systems for Healthcare Facilities.”

Together with TUV Rheinland and DEG-KfW Bankengruppe, the seminars are in preparation for a certification program that is aimed at elevating the standards of health-care facilities in Metro Manila, Cebu, Clark, Dumaguete, Subic and Tagaytay.

The seminars will tackle effective and trusted quality management systems, infection controls, importance of occupational health and safety in health-care facilities, transparency in medical prices and procedures, and public-private-partnerships in health-care initiatives. --M. de Leo
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