Priority for skilled labour migration - President

Rohan Mathes

COLOMBO: President Mahinda Rajapaksa asserted that the time has come to re-think our 'Foreign Employment' policy where export of unskilled personnel will be minimised, to be replaced by knowledge-based vocations that earn higher foreign exchange much needed to the country.

President Rajapaksa made this assertion when he addressed a ceremony at Temple Trees yesterday to mark the handing over of appointment letters to 2,506 Trainee Nurses as part of a programme to recruit 15,000 Trainee Nurses.

The President said that on evaluation of certain social, cultural and moral values of the nation and the implications it entails on the social fabric and the family in particular, among others, the despatch of unskilled and low-paid employees for vocations such as 'housemaids' abroad would have to be curtailed.

There has been a great demand for Sri Lankan trained nurses from abroad and arrangements are underway to send them soon, with an adequate knowledge of the English language too.

He pointed out that there were diseases which could not be cured by drugs alone but required loving kindness, compassion and care as the vital ingredient for cure, and urged the new appointees to emulate the ideals of Florence Nightingale who was considered the mother of nursing.

"The noble profession of nursing is believed to be the only profession where there has not been allegations of bribery to date," he said.

President Rajapaksa said Sri Lanka maintained a quality health care service which was on par with the developed world. This was amply illustrated in the post-tsunami era, when the country overcame the daunting challenge of averting an epidemic situation in the country.

"We will ensure the protection of human rights and the security of the country. The health sector including the nurses, should ensure that necessary care has been extended to all the patients who need it, irrespective whether it is the North, South, East or West of the country," he said.

President Rajapaksa added that in their overall programme of training, quality standards should be maintained, irrespective of the location of training.

The Health and Nutrition Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said that President Rajapaksa had rightly identified the key three priorities, security, education and health services, and the high expenditure on the training of nurses was only possible due to this high allocation of funds by the President who is also the Finance Minister, for the health sector.

The Health Ministry will be opening three new training schools for nurses and will also generate many jobs for the country, he said.

Ven. Muruthtettuwe Ananda Thera stressed that the pre-requisites of a good nurse were the qualities of loving kindness, compassion and discipline, and her prime responsibility was the treating of patients. "The nursing profession needs a paradigm shift in concepts", he said.