[00:00.10]From VOA Learning English,
[00:01.51]this is the Health Report.
[00:04.65]Japan and Germany have the world's oldest populations,
[00:09.82]but neither country has enough trained health care workers
[00:14.40]to meet the needs of older adults.
[00:17.59]So, they are turning to Vietnam for help.
[00:22.07]This month, 100 young Vietnamese are going to Germany
[00:28.69]as part of a project to train what are called
[00:32.16]geriatric nurses to work in the European country.
[00:37.23]The trainees recently completed a six-month language
[00:41.52]and culture class in Hanoi,
[00:43.96]they will spend the next two years
[00:46.60]in an occupational training program.
[00:49.43]If the trainees pass the final exam,
[00:52.87]they will be able to work in Germany
[00:55.50]as geriatric nurses for another 3 years.
[00:59.93]Germany is facing a crisis as low birth rates
[01:04.24]combine with a growing population of citizens
[01:07.90]who are living longer.
[01:09.90]About 20 percent of the population is over the age of 65,
[01:16.22]and that percentage is expected to continue rising.
[01:20.55]This is a problem Japan also faces.
[01:25.14]Later this year, 150 Vietnamese candidates will go to Japan
[01:31.68]for two years of training at the country's hospitals,
[01:36.06]after that they are expected to take the national nursing exam.
[01:41.75]Japan already trains nurses from the Philippines and Indonesia,
[01:47.47]but the health care system has been criticized
[01:50.62]for being too restrictive.
[01:53.40]All candidates must take the same exam,
[01:57.33]but it is very difficult for foreign applicants
[02:00.67]because few can speak the Japanese language.
[02:04.10]Yoko Tsuruya is the first secretary
[02:07.68]at the Japan's embassy in Hanoi.
[02:10.62]She says foreign nationals
[02:16.24]are given some help to complete the test,
[02:19.53]like being given more time to answer questions.
[02:23.98]To improve training,
[02:26.03]the government plans to combine language classes
[02:29.76]with real-life experience on the job.
[02:33.54]Even with an aging population,
[02:36.28]many Japanese are opposed to foreigners
[02:40.11]working in some industries.
[02:42.25]Critics say foreign labor could lead to higher unemployment,
[02:48.47]but there is little opposition to foreign nurses.
[02:53.36]In Vietnam, the situation is very different.
[02:58.29]60 percent of the population was born
[03:01.87]after the Vietnam war ended in 1985.
[03:06.51]There is not enough jobs for everyone who wants one.
[03:10.19]Most children are expected to care
[03:13.87]for their aging parents when they get old.
[03:17.50]Huong Thi Thi - the nurse trainee, thinks that in the future,
[03:22.70]Vietnam will need more hospitals for its elderly,
[03:26.97]but she adds, learning the skills overseas
[03:30.50]can help the Vietnamese develop this area for themselves.
[03:36.53]And that's the Health Report from VOA Learning English.