The Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) proposed Saturday that the language course and the Japanese licensure examination for Filipino nurses under the Japanese-Philippines Economic Parnership Agreement (JPEPA) be held locally to help save cost and facilitate movement of the health workers.

Dr. Teresita Barcelo, PNA president said that in pushing for the transfer of the language course to the Philippines, the association and the government itself will be able to monitor and assess how the health workers, particularly the nurses excel in the course, which allows them to permanently work in Japan.

“We are pursuing the suggestion to bring the language course here because, first, it is costly even if the government of Japan is paying most of their (nurses) expenses, and, second, we don’t want them to be permanently there,’’ Barcelo said.

“I am also bothered because the Filipino nurses who go there will be bound by a contract. At the same time they will feel home sick. Two of the nurses who joined did not continue with the program,’’ she said.

The conduct of the language course on Filipino health workers, including caregivers is part of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and its counterpart, the Japan International Corporation of Welfare Services (JICWELS) that was forged in accordance with the framework on the Movement of Natural persons under the JPEPA.