KOCHI: Even as people were losing jobs, getting their salaries cut and their savings emptied in the year of the Covid-19, the pandemic had an altogether different impact on the employment prospects of the state’s nurses, especially those with experience in ICU care.
According to the data provided by the state-owned Overseas Development and Employment Promotion Consultants Ltd (ODEPC), the agency has sent over 420 nurses specialising in ICU care to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman and the UK so far, starting from August 2020.
“This is just a tip of the iceberg,” said Anoop K A, managing director, ODEPC. “There are hundreds of others who have been recruited, ready to fly off once the visa is open. After the pandemic began, recruitment was dry for four to five months. But it picked up from August 2020,” he said, pointing out that only around 300 nurses were recruited in 2019-20.
Before the current financial year ends in April, another 600 nurses will fly off to destinations like the UK and Dubai, Anoop said. “There is a huge demand for nurses from Kerala in Qatar and the Maldives too, where the visa process is yet to start. Nurses trained in ICU care are the most sought after,” he added.
“The pandemic has created a huge gap in the patient-health worker ratio. With the number of Covid cases on the rise in the UK and other European countries, the demand for good caregivers has also grown exponentially. We have been approached by government hospitals in the UK seeking nurses experienced in respiratory medicine and paediatrics,” said Anoop.
Further, the salaries being offered have almost doubled, he said. “For example, if nurses were offered 2,000 to 3,000 Dirhams in the past, they are now getting 8,000 to 9,000 Dirhams. In terms of rupees, the Dubai government is offering `1.6 lakh plus food and accommodation. Visa and tickets are provided by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA). All employees are also given medical insurance.
The Sharjah ministry is offering Rs 1.8 lakh plus food, accommodation and insurance, besides visa and tickets,” he said, adding that the UK offers a whopping Rs 2 lakh. “Saudi Arabia’s offer starts from Rs 80,000,” “Before they fly, the ODEPC reimburses expenses like OET or IELTS training fees, exam fees, CBT fee and NMC registration fees, which adds up to about Rs 70,000,” said the ODEPC MD.