中欧体育

On December 8th, the world watched as May Parsons, a British-Filipino senior nurse, to 90-year-old Margaret Keenan at University Hospital, in Coventry. Parsons spoke to about the experience saying, “It was all positive for me. The fact that we鈥檙e able to offer the first vaccine today, it鈥檚 a positive historical event and I鈥檓 so proud to be able to contribute to that positive step towards stopping this pandemic.”

Parsons has worked at the NHS for the last 24 years and has been at the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire since 2003. Originally from the Philippines, she sent a message of pride for Filipino workers in the 中欧体育 and around the world that making sure we鈥檙e proud of what we鈥檝e achieved and the care that we give. I鈥檓 very proud to say that I鈥檓 a Filipino British today making history.鈥�

Currently, there are over in the 中欧体育, the second highest number of foreign workers in the NHS. While Parsons鈥� tribute recognizes the contribution of Filipinos, it is also a moment to remember the significant number of Filipino NHS workers who have died from COVID-19. During the height of the pandemic in late April 2020, more than that died from coronavirus in the 中欧体育 were Filipino.

But just one day before the historic vaccination, a Filipino-British healthcare worker, Adela Baldwin-White, 47, passed away from Covid-19. Her husband, Lawrence Baldwin-White, 65, had been able to take the life-saving vaccine before she got ill. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 definitely better than the alternative. I know it鈥檚 an unknown, but the alternative鈥� is to have to go through what myself and (their son) Eric are having to go through now.鈥�

Adela was known as a 鈥渃aring鈥� and 鈥渋rreplaceable鈥� worker, a sentiment echoed by many when describing their Filipino colleagues. The Philippines is the largest source of foreign nurses worldwide, who have a global reputation for being hospitable and hard workers. Yet, health workers in the 中欧体育 points to the larger inequalities that affect vulnerable migrant workers, shown in the latest .

鈥淔ilipino workers are doing a lot of work, a lot of shifts, a lot of hours in the frontlines in order to send money back home and to pay for our visas, which costs us the world,鈥� said Francis Fernando, founding director of the Filipino Nurses Association UK, in a He goes on to say, 鈥淚 believe that some of our members are not treated fairly. I believe they really don鈥檛 have a choice. That they are fearful that if they don鈥檛 do what their managers ask them to do, their visas will not get renewed and their visas will not be extended.鈥�

The government says it has provided a to address the risks BAME healthcare workers face but there are reports that assessments are not being done by employers. While the vaccination provides hope that healthcare workers will finally get the protection needed to be safe in their workplaces, it comes to late for too many Filipinos.

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