THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a major setback for the state, and especially the nursing community, the Netherlands categorically informed that they didn't want nurses outside the European Union (EU) for work in the country. It was in a letter to Chief Secretary Tom Jose that Ambassador Marten van den Berg intimated this.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in a Facebook post in July had said that the state government assured the Netherlands to address its shortage of nurses, which was around 30,000 to 40,000. The post came soon after the chief minister's meeting with the envoy at Kerala House in New Delhi.
"Going by the communique from the envoy, the nursing recruitment to Netherlands is not going to take off. They informed the state that at present they are not looking for qualified nurses who aren't a part of EU," said an officer with the Health Department.
Substantiating the same in the assembly, the chief minister said that in a meeting held between the principal secretary of the Department of Non-Resident Keralites Affairs (NORKA) and the Dutch envoy in August, the latter informed that when it comes to the job sector of the Netherlands, the top priority is for natives and second for those who come from any country which is a part of EU. Candidates from other countries will only be considered if the top two preferences can't be met.
Ironically, though the Netherlands gave its nod for nursing recruitment from the state, not a single candidate is likely to qualify as proficiency in Dutch is a prerequisite for securing a job in Netherlands. Adding to their misery, as per government records, there are no such centres in the state that provide training in the language.
When asked about this, an officer of NORKA said, "The chief minister's comment is out of a discussion he had with the envoy. Neither the state nor the Netherlands entered into a formal discussion or memorandum of understanding in this matter." According to the officer, the future course of action will only be decided after the Netherlands government takes a formal decision on the state's proposal.
Meanwhile, Pinarayi Vijayan's post had also highlighted that the state's residence commissioner in New Delhi would coordinate with the Dutch embassy to move forward the recruitment plans.