33 Pinoy nurses get psychiatric care training in Brunie

Thirty-three Filipino nurses from the Philippine National Center for Mental Health-Nursing Services received training on recent trends in mental and psychiatric care, Philippine ambassador to Brunei Virginia Benavidez reported Tuesday.

In her report to the Department of Foreign Affairs, Benavidez said that the training on February 20, held at the Philippine Embassy in Brunei, was also an occasion for our nurses to network with their counterparts in Brunei.

In her message to the trainees, Benavidez said, "It [nursing] is more than just a job, it is a calling. It is a serious and honorable responsibility as nurses continue to be in the forefront to make the delivery of better health care a priority and life's work."

Data from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) show that from January to June 1998, failure to communicate with their relatives is among the leading causes of stress among overseas Filipino workers. Physical and psychological abuse contributes the rise in various psychiatric problems among migrant workers.

An OWWA report showed that from January to June of 1998, 93 cases of mental illness among OFW's were reported.