Palace welcomes US bill lifting limit on nurses' migration

[kathykaye]

Palace welcomes US bill lifting limit on nurses' migration

First posted 06:07pm (Mla time) May 25, 2006

INQ7.net

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MALACAÑANG welcomes a measure filed before the United States Senate that seeks to lift the limit imposed on the number of nurses who can migrate to the US, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's spokesman said Thursday.

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye allayed fears by some groups that the measure the US Senate was expected to pass soon will hurt the country's health care system, which was already facing a severe shortage of nurses.

The US legislation removing the cap on the hiring of nurses was needed to help the US cope with its own growing shortage of nurses, reports said.

"New nurses keep coming up, they are replaced at almost the same rate they are recruited, so I think we will not have shortage of manpower," Bunye said.

Besides, Bunye said the government could not prevent its manpower from leaving the country to seek "greener pastures."

He added that Filipino talents were "marketable," being known as world-class workers.

He also said that remittances sent by Filipinos overseas did not only help the country but most especially their families, who use the money to finance the schooling of those willing to take up nursing.

What the government can do is to accelerate the training of those in medical services, Bunye said.

http://news.inq7.net/breaking/index.php?index=1&story_id=76976

[loryn]

a very welcome development, we hope the bill gets approved soon

Loryn

[ZASHAGALKA, RN]

That proposed part of the coming Immigration law has little chance in the full Congress. In all actuality, the ENTIRE bill has little chance of ultimate passage. Sorry.

The current immigration bill passed by the Senate refers to a current, lively debate in the United States about immigration/illegal alien control at our southern border with Mexico.

This provision is only a small part of that package. But, before a final vote, that bill must be reconciled with the House of Representatives - and their version of this law is much more strict. In truth, the final law, if passed at all, is likely to be heavier on border security and thinner on immigration issues.

Actually, the current immigration bill passed by the Senate would probably have the overall effect of LIMITING legal immigration in the next several years because that bill allows our current illegal immigrants to cut to the front of the line.

I'm not trying to disappoint; but it is a political reality that passage of a final bill with this provision is very unlikely. Members in the House of Representatives are already screaming that the Senate version would allow 100 million immigrants in the next 10 yrs and that such provisions would not survive to the 'reconciliation' bill (The combined Senate/House bill that would have to be revoted upon).

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/24/world/americas/24nurses.html?_r=1&hp&ex=1148529600&en=eeafe847d1582758&ei=5094&partner=homepage&oref=slogin

Or, as one House member (Dana Rohrabacher R-CA) said on American TV (Foxnews' "The Big Story"): "The Senate bill is pro-illegal immigration; the House bill is anti-illegal immigration. The two bills are so far apart as to be unreconcileable. If the final version looks more like the Senate version than the House version; it WILL NOT pass the House."

~faith,

Timothy.