th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II
Andrew Milligan / POOL / AFP/ FILE/ MANILA BULLETIN
“Our ties of friendship and affection are as important today as 75 years ago. We are fortunate to have many nurses from the Philippines in the National Health Service,” the Queen said in a message sent to President Duterte that was coursed through the British Embassy in Manila.
In her brief message, the Queen told Duterte that the presence of Filipino nurses in the United Kingdom “bring exceptional care and comfort to their patients”, especially during the current global health crisis.
Good News Pilipinas
Filipino nurse Ariel Lañada wins Nurse of the Year award for UK pandemic work
Filipino nurse Jose Ariel Lañada is one of the two winners of the Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) Nurse of the Year award in the United Kingdom. Photo from Oxford University Hospitals.
Filipino nurse Jose Ariel Lañada of the Oxford University Hospitals has been named the United Kingdom’s Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) Nurse of the Year for his outstanding work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lañada was declared a joint winner of the award in the National BAME Health & Care Awards during a virtual ceremony on May 6, 2021.
Published May 4, 2021, 12:02 AM
The Philippines is the leading exporter of nurses worldwide with 85 percent of nurses trained in the Philippines working overseas, mostly in Saudi Arabia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Migrant nurses contribute approximately $8 billion in remittances to the Philippine economy every year.
Despite the significant financial returns, this brain drain of world-class Filipino talent has also impaired the overall effectiveness of the country’s public health system.
In a bit of irony, the first person to administer the COVID-19 vaccine in the United Kingdom last December 2020 was a Filipina nurse, May Parsons, who has worked with the National Health Service for 24 years. Two other Filipina nurses, Charito Romano and Minnie Klepacz received the British Empire Medal (BEM) recently for their outstanding work to support their colleagues and the community during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the recognition given by the Queen of England to Filipino nurse Charito Romano makes Filipinos very proud.
Millions of families lost loved ones, children lost parents and hospitals all around the world struggled to cope with the tsunami of COVID-19 cases. Even though the sufferings are not over yet, and healthcare workers are still working tirelessly to save lives, one of them received a medal of honor for her contribution to the Coronavirus pandemic response.
Charito Romano is a Filipina nurse who works at the Arbrook House Care Home in Esher, in the UK. She is among the hundreds of key workers and community champions who battled the pandemic and have been recognized in the New Year honors list.