KOCHI: Time and again it has been proven that when it comes to recruiting nurses, hospitals all over the world, especially the US, UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, prefer nurses from Kerala. And now the state government is laying the groundwork that will see around 65,000 nurses from Kerala getting recruited to work in various hospitals in Italy.
According to Prof K V Thomas, special representative of the Kerala government in New Delhi, the discussions regarding the vacancies took place when he met Antonio Bartoli, ambassador of Italy to India.
“The purpose of the meeting was to showcase Kerala’s global contributions and strengthen the ties between the state and Italy,” said Thomas.
He said, “The ambassador said nurses from Kerala are very well received in Italy. As to the qualifications the nurses need to possess to get employed in Italy, the ambassador said besides passing out from a good nursing institution and working with a reputed hospital, the candidates should also learn Italian along with English.”
However, the nitty-gritty of the how, when and where of the recruitment process will be arrived at only after discussions with the chief minister, he added.
“Details like whether the recruitment will happen through NORKA Roots or Overseas Development and Employment Promotion Consultants (ODEPEC) will be decided after discussions with the CM,” said Thomas. According to him, the Italian ambassador said various institutions from the country will participate in the Invest Kerala Global Summit to be held in Kochi in February.
Besides recruiting nurses, the Italian ambassador also expressed the country’s interest in establishing ties with the state in the tourism sector also, said Thomas. “The Italian ambassador praised the efforts made by the government to promote the uniqueness of Kerala.
The relationship between Italy and Kerala will be further strengthened. The ambassador announced that while in Kerala, he will visit beaches, Alappuzha houseboats and Kumbalangi, India’s first model tourism village,” said Thomas.
He said, “The Italian ambassador was made aware of the various schemes implemented by the state government to promote tourism and sustainable development. I invited Italian citizens to explore the natural beauty of Kerala.”