Japan is open to Vietnamese nurses and orderlies as it will need a large number of foreign personnel in this field in the next few years, a representative of the All Japan Hospital Association has said.

There are 32.7 million people aged at least 65 in Japan at present, accounting for 25.75 percent of the population, Noboru Yamamoto, head of the international cooperation division of the association, which receives Vietnamese orderlies, said at an international conference in Hanoi on July 22.

A nurse taking care of an elderly. (Photo for illustration)

He added the country will need 700,000 orderlies and caretakers in the next 10 years while Japanese people working in this area number around 300,000 – 400,000. It will need the same number of orderlies from other countries, including Vietnam.

Japan has opened an apprenticeship programme for Vietnamese candidates to help address the shortage. When working in Japan, Vietnamese orderlies can acquire first-rate skills and they can in turn give training to future caretakers, Noboru Yamamoto said.

Additionally, orderlies who already graduated from Vietnam’s junior colleges or universities must pass Japan’s national nursing certification exam to serve as an official orderly in Japan.

At the event, Chairman of the Vietnam Nurses Association Pham Duc Muc said the Vietnamese Government signed an economic partnership agreement with Japan that features an article on sending Vietnamese orderlies to the country.

Nearly 500 Vietnamese candidates have been involved in the apprenticeship programme in Japan so far, he added.

The international conference, held by the Vietnam Nurses Association and the All Japan Hospital Association, shared information on nursing personnel in Japan and experience in caring for the elderly.

Source: VNA