PH and Germany conclude agreement to deploy Filipino health care professionals to Germany 

The Philippines and the Federal Republic of Germany on Tuesday, March 19, concluded a government-to-government that will facilitate the placement of Filipino health care professionals in employment positions in Germany. 

The agreement was signed by Administrator Hans Leo J. Cacdac of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and Ms. Monika Vamhagen of the German Federal Employment Agency. 

The signing ceremony, held at the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) was witnessed by DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz and her German counterpart Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Dr. Ursula von der Leyen, and other officials from the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, DOLE, POEA and the Professional Regulation Commission. 

The agreement opens the German health care sector to Filipino health care professionals who have been heretofore, barred from employment in accordance with existing German laws. It also stipulates the procedures and conditions for the deployment of Filipino health care professionals to Germany. 

Under the Agreement, the placement of Filipino health care professionals in Germany will be regulated and facilitated only by government agencies namely, the POEA and the BA/ZAV. A key provision of the Agreement is that Filipino health care professionals will be employed in Germany under the same conditions that are accorded to their German counterparts. 

Philippine health care professionals will undergo a thorough selection process and language training to equip them the necessary linguistic competence to work in Germany under the Triple Win Project of the BA/ZAV at no cost to the prospective employees. 

The move to conclude agreement to deploy Philippine health care professionals was initiated as a way to address the acute shortage of workers in the German health service sector. It is expected to provide new opportunities for Philippine health care professionals who are well-regarded not only for their skills and competence but also for their caring and sympathetic nature. 

For its initial implementation, the Agreement will apply to the deployment of Filipino nurses who already have a history of working in Germany in the 1970s. (PCOO)