Emigration of Philippine Nurses: Ethical Concerns Home and Abroad

Abstract

After 2010, the greatest increase will occur between the sixty-five (65) year and older age group from 13.2 percent to 20 percent by 2030 – from 39.4 million elderly to 69.4 million. Therefore, the question one would ask oneself is, “Should the U.S. continue to support the emigration of Philippine nurses to the U.S. when a violation of ethical principles occur?”. These ethical principles include beneficence, nonmaleficence, autonomy, and justice, which will influence the fair-play practice of emigration, economic gain with emigration, necessity versus choice, the safety of the nurses and patients, and social justice and responsibility. For nurses in developing countries, it is essential that nurses develop a utilitarian collective voice to demand health care service changes from their government to meet the health care needs of the citizens and improve the infrastructure. Keywords: Filipino, Nurses, Ethical principles, Push/pull factors, Emigration, Economic