Johor Bahru KJRI Proposes Hiring Indonesian Nurses To Address Manpower Shortage

JOHOR BAHRU, Aug 5 (Bernama) -- The Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia (KJRI) in Johor Bahru has proposed a strategic collaboration with hospitals in Malaysia to enable nurses from Indonesia to work here, thus helping to overcome the issue of manpower shortage in the medical sector.

Its Consul General, Sigit S. Widiyanto, said this would be a win-win situation since about 70 per cent of the international patients in Malaysia are from Indonesia.

He is confident that this measure will be mutually beneficial because Malaysia is facing a manpower shortage in the health sector, including nurses, while Indonesia has an excess workforce in the field.

"Perhaps, in Johor, Melaka, and then in Penang, Kuala Lumpur… almost 70 per cent of their patients are Indonesians. I was told that the situation is the same with several hospitals in Sabah.

"As such, it will be a win-win situation if more of our nurses get to work here. Communication-wise, there will be no problem as we understand each other. Similarly, in terms of opportunities and culturally,” he said in an interview with Bernama recently.

Previously, Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said major hospitals in Johor Bahru are currently facing a serious and critical shortage of healthcare manpower, with a nurse having to manage more than 10 to 14 patients per shift, compared to an ideal ratio of 1:6 or a maximum of 1:8 

Sigit said the consulate has begun state-level collaboration with a hospital in Johor, including the process of nurse intake before presenting it to the authorities in Kuala Lumpur for approval.

"This requires approval from the Ministry of Health (MOH), the Malaysian Nursing Board and other stakeholders. But, we are trying because this has never been done before,” he said.

He said the nurses from Indonesia are currently recognised in many countries, including Singapore, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UA), Japan, Australia and Germany - proving their capability to serve in Malaysia.

"If Indonesian nurses can work in those countries, then they can surely work in Malaysia. Within ASEAN, member countries have already agreed that nursing is among the open professions that can move between countries. Of course, there needs to be skill adjustments and other requirements according to existing regulations, but that is not a big problem,” he said.

He said they also plan to focus on recruiting nurses from the Riau Islands and Riau as an initial effort to place health workers in Malaysian hospitals.

This measure is taken due to geographical proximity and cultural similarities, in addition to many patients from this area seeking treatment in states like Johor and Melaka.

"We do not need to go far, we can fulfil our own needs. If it can be implemented nationally, it would be better, but for now, we will focus on the Riau Islands first,” he said. 

He said Tanjung Pinang in the Riau Islands has a health education institution, namely the School of Health Sciences and the Health Polytechnic owned by the Indonesian Ministry of Health, which can be a major source of prospective nurses.

"We have discussed with the health school here to create a 'sandwich’ programme, whereby the curriculum will be combined to allow graduates in Indonesia to continue their studies for six months in Malaysia before serving here,” he said.

Sigit is confident that this method can produce nurses who are not only professionally qualified but also able to adapt to the local language and culture.

The Johor Bahru KJRI has recorded that about 130,210 Indonesian citizens reside in its work area covering Johor, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan and Pahang.

-- BERNAMA