Health workers in Kerala have ample employment opportunities abroad and the State government will make the necessary interventions to ensure the safe migration of health workers possible, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said during his media briefing here on Tuesday.
Briefing the media about the “significant gains” made by the Kerala delegation in the United Kingdom and Europe in inking deals for the safe migration of Kerala’s health workers, he said the demand for highly skilled and qualified healthcare personnel abroad, especially nurses, had gone up after the pandemic and that the State was yet to tap this opportunity fully.
The United Kingdom’s National Health Service estimated that it would require 42,000 nurses in the next three years, with about 30% of the requirement in the area of mental health. Finland had informed that they would require 10,000 nurses in the next four to five years. Wales NHS was facing an acute shortage of nurses and was interested in recruiting nurses from Kerala directly.
The State government, NoRKA-Roots and ODEPC would explore these opportunities fully and enable the safe and legal migration of health workers abroad, Mr. Vijayan said.
Mr. Vijayan said NoRKA-Roots had signed a memorandum of understanding with Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership, one of the U.K.’s NHS’s integrated care partnerships. It also signed an agreement with Navigo, a mental health services provider for the North East Lincolnshire Health Service. He added that this MoU was approved by the Union Ministry of External Affairs
This would facilitate the migration of healthcare professionals, such as doctors, nurses, and paramedical staff, in a safe, transparent, and legal manner. Upon completion of the process, a week-long U.K. Employment Fest would be held here in November, he said.
When pointed out by mediapersons that the State was already facing a shortage of experienced healthcare professionals, Mr. Vijayan said the State needed to think about how more nursing education and training opportunities could be created in Kerala to meet the demand here and abroad.
