“This is a great opportunity for Indonesian migrant workers,” Worker Training and Placement Directorate General secretary Abdul Malik Harahap  said Tuesday.

Qatar  had introduced measures to make it easier for locals to obtain nursing licenses, but was also looking abroad for more health workers.

According to data from the World Health Organization, in 2008 Qatar was home to 833,285 people but had only 7.38 nurses per 10,000 people, and 91 percent of these nurses were expatriates.

“We will prepare our migrant workers to meet Qatar’s criteria for nurses and paramedics,” Migrant Worker Placement director Rostiawati said.

According to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), Indonesia has around 2,000,000 unemployed high school graduates who could be trained and sent abroad.

Abdul said Manpower and Transmigration Minister Muhaimin Iskandar had discussed the possibility of forming a working agreement between the two countries with Qatar’s health minister and manpower minister. Qatar will soon send a delegation to assess the skills of Indonesia’s nurses.

Muhaiman had visited Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Lebanon and Saudi Arabia to discuss efforts to protect Indonesia’s migrant workers.

“The four countries have agreed to help Indonesia to improve the protection of migrant workers employed there,” Abdul said.

Qatar, the UAE and Lebanon have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) covering health services and working hours. Saudi Arabia has yet to sign, pending the drafting of new legislation on migrant workers, especially those employed as domestic helpers.

Qatar’s proven reserves of 15 billion barrels oil and 25 trillion cubic meters of natural gas, and its booming construction sector also mean possible jobs for Indonesian oil industry and construction workers. (ipa)

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