HUMAN RESOURCES ON HEALTH (HRH) FOR FOREIGN COUNTRIES: A CASE OF NURSE ‘SURPLUS’ IN INDONESIA (.PDF)
By: AgusSuwandono, Muharso, AnhariAchadi and KetutAryastami

(Source: http://www.healthworkforce.info/aaah/reviewal/Indonesia%20-%20revised.pdf  retrieved 26/1/2014)

NURSE FOR FOREIGN COUNTRIES
Several countries have been offering opportunities for nurses, medical doctors and other HRH to work there. This promotion has been sent it to GOI and they have asked for having nurses and other HRH to work there with various kinds of criteria including test requirements. For example, USA has offered unlimited nurses for ‘S1’ or at the level of bachelor in Indonesia (university level in Indonesia, which is high school graduated plus 5 years education at the School of Nursing) and ‘D-3’ or graduated from academic in Indonesia (academic level in Indonesia, which is high school graduated plus 3 years education at the Academic of Nursing or Poly-technique School of Nursing). Saudi Arabia has also offered its need to have 1000 female nurses to work there with certain criteria. Table 1 shows in detail some needs and criteria should be fulfilled for 4 countries as follows:

There are also possibilities of working in other countries such as UEA, Kuwait, the Netherlands, Great Britain, Brunei, other Middle East countries and so forth. Since 1996, actually there has been some experienced of Indonesian nurses to be foreign countries workers. Those countries have required passing test of nurses who accepted to work in their countries. Although demands of those recipient countries have been big enough, since 1996, the passing rate of Indonesian nurses have been very low with approximately 25% of the total applied nurses. However, the passing rate has showed some significant improvement within these pass 2 years. The detail data about passing rate (the percentage of nurses who pass the foreign countries examinations for working there) can be seen in Table 2.

Table 2. Passing Rate of Indonesian Nurses by Countries Recipient,

The education policy of nurses for foreign countries in Indonesia follows the general policy of improvement education of nurses developed by the National Board of Development and Empowerment of HRH, MOH Indonesia. They are as follows:

1. Basic nurse education:
   a. Academic of Nursing or Health Poly-technique for Nurses: Three years education after graduated from Senior High School with graduated level of ‘D3’.
   b. University, Faculty of Nursing: Five years education after graduated from Senior High School or two years education after graduated from Academic of Nursing or Health Poly-technique for Nurses with graduated degree of ‘S1’ (bachelor level).
   
2. Additional courses for nurses who graduated in regular Academic of Nursing, Health Poly-technique for Nurses or Faculty of Nursing. This course is called ‘KIPI’ or Inclusive Course for Indonesian Nurses. This is a 5-6 months course for Indonesian nurses who want to work abroad. The course materials focus on English language, improvement of clinical nursing experiences and cultural knowledge of foreign countries.
   
3. Additional 1 year for specific courses needed foreign country in Academic of Nursing and Health Poly-technique for Nurses with graduated degree of ‘D4’. The five specification courses added within one year are high care nursing, medical surgical nursing, pediatric nursing, obstetric nursing and emergency nursing.
   
4. International class in Academic of Nursing and Health Poly-technique for Nurses. These classes are in collaboration with the Griffith University, Australia. The curriculum is still being developed.
   
5. Sister school with Australian Universities such as Griffith University, Northern Territory University, Flinders University, University Technology Sidney and so forth. After finishing ‘D3’ in Indonesia, they have to take courses in Australia for 6 months follow by working in Australia for 2 years.

 The mechanism of recruitment and placement of nurses for foreign countries is coordinated by Ministry of Health (MOH) together with professional organization of nurses (National Association of Indonesian Nurses). The private and individual nurses who want to work abroad should be registered by the professional organization of nurse in Indonesia. After registration, they will be sent to MOH for selection process. If the nurses pass the test and all criteria required by the foreign countries, they will be prepared by MOH and sign a contract to the users as well as with MOH. Finally after all of the administration procedures have been proceeded, they are sent to the country destination. For the government nurses, they can be directed apply to the MOH, further process is the same as private or individual nurses.

While they are working in foreign countries, the MOH will monitor them through the collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. After they come back to Indonesia due to their contract is finished, they have to report to the MOH for further placement in Indonesia. Most of the private and individual nurses who return to Indonesia after successfully fulfilling their contracts will be placement to the private hospitals. While most of the government nurses who return to Indonesia will be recruited to be teachers in the Academic of Nursing, Health Poly-technique for Nurses or Faculty of Nursing.

Overall schematic of recruitment and placement mechanism of nurses for foreign countries can be seen in Figure 2.