Centre’s collaboration with foreign institutes improves work prospects of Indian nurses abroad

New Delhi: Even though the Indian Nursing Council (INC), under the Ministry of Health, does not maintain any specific data about the total number or demand for Indian nursing staff in foreign countries, there is however a huge influx of Indian nurses heading abroad to work in foreign healthcare centres every year.

Given the craze for working abroad, the Central government has introduced a few programmes and signed MoUs (Memorandum of Understanding) with foreign universities and has taken up various measures to enable more Indian nursing students to get opportunities abroad.

Recently, responding to queries in the Rajya Sabha related to collaborative nursing programmes offered by the government to facilitate the global mobility of Indian nurses, Minister of State for Medical and Health Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar spoke about the various measures of the government in this regard.

Steps to enable nursing students to work abroad

As per Indian Nursing Council (INC) data, the government has approved an overseas blended model in nursing education to empower nursing students to work abroad. Apart from the existing MoU with a Canadian University, an MoU has been signed between India and certain foreign countries such as Singapore.

INC has allowed nursing students to take foreign language as an optional subject or course in BSc (Nursing) and General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM) programmes.

Also, there was a need to teach Japanese language in all North Eastern States and INC has signed a MoU with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to place Japanese teachers in the North Eastern States.

A course in Japanese language for students of North Eastern states has been launched at the Regional College of Nursing, Guwahati from June 2023, which is offered free of cost to nursing students.

INC has developed the Bridge Training Programme to impart knowledge based on country-specific requirements relevant to patient care for the nurses migrating overseas and to enhance the competencies in key areas for adapting to country-specific healthcare delivery systems.

Promoting foreign candidates to study in India

INC also has taken the resolution to promote foreign candidates to study nursing in India. A total of 25 per cent reservation under supernumerary has been considered for the institutions having a parent hospital of more than or equal to 300 beds.

A 10 per cent reservation under supernumerary has been considered for the institutions having parent hospitals with less than 300 beds.

WFME accreditation for NMC

Meanwhile, the National Medical Commission (NMC) received World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) accreditation in September 2023 for the next 10 years which paves the way for students with Indian Medical degrees to appear in eligibility examinations of different countries such as the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE).