Filipino nurses admired for rendering exemplary service

Many Saudis and foreigners praise Filipino nurses working in various hospitals, polyclinics and health centers all over the Kingdom.
“They are good at work. Based on my observation of the Filipino nurses I have worked with, they are conscientious, caring and charismatic,” said Wahib Al-Jurdi, a cardiologist at the Specialized Medical Center Hospital in Riyadh.
Jannette Arenque-Asi, a teacher at Saudi Arabian International School, said that she had witnessed how good Filipino nurses are.
“During the two times that I gave birth, the Filipino nurses who attended me made me feel that giving birth was easy, although I knew it was not,” she said.
But they are not only good at work. They are also very much involved in the Filipino community. They serve as volunteers during medical missions conducted by Filipino groups all over Saudi Arabia.
“They are like Florence Nightingale. Their caring for the sick inside the hospital is also shown when they serve as volunteers during medical missions conducted by Filipino groups,” said Philippine Ambassador to the Kingdom Ezzedin H. Tago. One of the admired Filipino nurses in the Kingdom is 45-year-old Mary Jane P. Tupas, who is now the director of nursing at the Mohammad Dossary Hospital in Alkhobar.
“She was already a director of nursing at the hospital when I joined in 2010, but her colleagues say she is a good nurse,” Abdul Fettah Ennayal, director general at the hospital, told Arab News.
Raisa Dacula, a 44-year-old staff nurse at the hospital, added, “A patient who is at pain could smile once he sees her approaching. Her eyes give the impression that there is no ailment that could not be cured.”
Teresita Tunac, a friend and nurse at the Maternity Hospital in Dammam, added, “She's indefatigable and disarms patients with her warmth and caring attitude.”
When asked where the reservoir of her energy comes from, Tupas said, “I merely observe a healthy lifestyle. I eat the right kind of food, I am moderate in my eating habits, I exercise and pray to God to keep me in good health always,” she said.
If Tupas is a good nurse, she’s also very active in the hospital’s medical missions as well as those of the various Filipino community groups.
“As a nurse, Tupas is very active in the Filipino community. During medical missions of Saudi Arabia Hiligaynon Inc., she's always involved,” said George P. Palencia, president of the united Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in the Eastern Province.
He added that in August 2011, Tupas founded a group, the Filipino Nurses Association-Eastern Region Saudi Arabia, which now has 100 members.
Tupas received her bachelor degree in nursing with honors from the St. Gabriel Hospital in Kalibo, Philippines, in 1986. In 2011, she received her Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Philippine Christian University (Middle East Campus) in Alkhobar.
Another Filipino nurse imbued with love for the nursing profession is 25-year-old Sarah M. Acesor, who is connected with the cardiology department of the Al-Habib Hospital in Riyadh.
Apart from work, she is also involved in the community activities of the Alpha Phi Omega Riyadh Alumni Organization (APORAAO), which conducted a dental service in 2010. The group also conducted a bloodletting drive in 2011 for the benefit of Saudi nationals.
She added that “in the mind's eye, I could see myself joining more medical missions to be undertaken by the APORAAO.”
“Sarah M. Acesor is one of the most active APORAAO members, who has always been present when her services are needed,” said Mike Pacheco, the group's assistant to the vice president for membership.
Before coming to the Kingdom, Acesor had worked at a hospital in Sariaya, south of Manila. She received her nursing degree from the Manuel S. Enverga University Foundation in Lucena City in 2007 and came to work in the Kingdom in December 2009.
In Buraidah, Thelma Escuadra-Nunez is also admired as nurse at the Prince Sultan Cardiac Hospital (PSCH) as well as for being a volunteer during medical missions of the 1,000-plus member Samahan ng mga Manggagawang Pilipino sa Gassim or Association of Filipino Workers in Qassim (SAMPIGA).
A senior nurse at the PSCH, she was honored as “Best Nurse in Cardiology” once. She has been sent out of Qassim for various missions. She is often with an ambulance to fetch a patient from the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center in Riyadh and bring him to Qassim. Last year she was sent to attend a seminar at the Inter-Continental Hotel in Riyadh.
“She is also very active in community service. In all the medical missions SAMPIGA has undertaken, she has always been with us, rendering services to compatriots, most of them blue collar workers,” said Arnold G. Pineda, who is an official of the group.
Asked what motivates her to join the medical service as a volunteer, she said, “I love my profession. It has something to do with caring for the sick or those who need medical help, like fellow OFWs in the Kingdom who seek consultation with us during medical missions. Sometimes, like the other volunteers, I even spend my own money for this purpose,” she said.