Pinoy nurses in UK defend credentials amid colleague’s conviction

Filipino nurses in the United Kingdom have closed ranks against the possible backlash of Victorino Chua's conviction to their profession.

In a statement, the Philippine Nurses Association of the United Kingdom (PNA-UK) defended the education and vetting process for nurses in the Philippines, after authorities questioned Chua's credentials as a fully qualified nurse.

“While there are doubts about Chua's educational background, it is fair to emphasize that nursing education in the Philippines is rigorous,” the group said.

It added that the Philippines “has the most redundant system of preventing fraud thereby assuring local and foreign employers that the qualifications of possible employees are to a high standard.”

The group issued their statement after the Manchester Crown Court found Chua guilty for killing two patients and attempting to poison several others at Stepping Hill Hospital from 2011 to 2012 — an act the PNA-UK described as "unspeakable."

Greater Manchester Police told BBC News that their investigations revealed inconsistencies between Chua's two nursing certificates, casting doubts on certificates issued in the Philippines.

Fake credentials

PNA-UK acknowledged the existence of loopholes that allow nurses to obtain fake credentials, but insisted that underperforming nursing schools and other avenues of fraud are being shut down to improve the quality of health professionals in the Philippines.

“Fraudulent qualifications at all levels and branches are being fought not only by the government but by each respective professional regulator,” it said.

The group added that the contributions of Filipino nurses to the UK's National Health Service was “overwhelming” despite the existence of “inferior and flawed individuals.”

World-class nurses

“Over the last two decades, Filipino nurses are world-class nurses who have been the preferred employees as evidenced by the constant demand for Filipino nurses across the various continents,” PNA-UK said.

“To quantify the positive contribution of Filipino nurses to the NHS, just imagine the NHS today without a single Filipino nurse,” it concluded.

Chua, 49, was convicted of murdering Tracey Arden, 44, and Derek Weaver, 83, at Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport and poisoning 20 others on Monday three years after he was first arrested.

He confessed in a handwritten note that he decided to abuse his patients "for reasons truly known only to himself", adding that he was "an angel turned into an evil person" with a "devil" inside him.

Chua, who killed Arden and Weaver by injecting insulin into their saline bags and ampoules, will be sentenced on Tuesday, UK time. —KBK, GMA News

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