“I think it’s fair that we are facilitating the movement of human resources by conducting the tests in English. But once they want to apply to hospitals such as Siriraj, which caters to Thai patients, the interviews would be in Thai,” Dr Tassana said, adding that she was concerned with the influx of Filipino nurses obtaining licences for private hospitals that have a high percentage of foreign patients.
The US was a popular destination for Filipino nurses in the past, but the AEC changes will mean more will choose to work closer to home. “I think more nurses will come here because Thailand is near the Philippines. That is very important for overseas contract workers when we want to see our families,” Mrs Avestruz said.
But she agrees that basic local language requirements are necessary.
“When the AEC takes place, you’re not going to take care of international patients only, and you have to pay respect with regards to culture,” she said.