Weak response to NORKA’s offer to nurses

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Only two nurses have so far turned up for availing of NORKA-Roots' offer to process job visas in Gulf countries obtained by many nurses before the new recruitment process came into effect on May 31.

There are complaints that many nurses who had received genuine job visa offers from Gulf countries before May 31 were unable to go abroad after that date as the airport emigration wing prevented them citing fresh norms.

Subsequently, the state government pressured the External Affairs Ministry and got permission to process such visas through the e-Migrate system.

“So far, we have got only two such requests, which are being processed,” said NORKA-Roots chief executive officer R. S. Kannan.

To process visas issued prior to May 31, the foreign employer concerned should have to register on the e-Migrate portal. This could be the reason for the weak response, Mr Kannan said.

Meanwhile, NORKA-Roots has so far facilitated recruitment of 83 nurses — 40 in Aster DM Healthcare in the UAE and 43 others in hospitals under the Ministry of Health in the UAE — through the new recruitment system.

“The recruitment process is in the final stages,” said Mr Kannan, adding that not a single penny was charged from the candidates. The UAE Ministry of Health even conducted tests for nursing jobs in all emirates, except Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the state and 200 passed them.

Mr Kannan refuted allegations that candidates were not informed well in time about the recruitment tests. “Whenever fresh demands for recruitment were received, the candidates registered on the NORKA-Roots portal and candidates who apply are informed through SMS and email. Also, the notifications are made available on NORKA-Roots' websites," he said.

Employers from countries like Oman and Qatar have also registered on the e-Migrate. “The initial reluctance is fading and we hope that there would be a continuous recruitment process in the next couple of months," Mr Kannan said.