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Business Standard
26-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Rs 30,000 to Rs 3 lakh: More Indian nurses going abroad to earn 5x more
Indian nurses are increasingly seeking employment opportunities abroad, driven by a global shortage of healthcare professionals and the promise of better pay and working conditions. Countries like Germany, Ireland, Malta, the UAE, and Belgium are actively recruiting Indian nurses, offering competitive salaries and additional perks. For instance data provided by BorderPlus, a workforce mobility platform, shows a nurse in Germany can expect an initial monthly salary of €2,700 (approximately Rs 2.6 lakh), which can rise to €3,300 (around Rs 3.2 lakh) post-licensure—significantly higher than the Rs 20,000–40,000 typically earned in Indian private hospitals . This trend is facilitated by agencies like BorderPlus, which assist nurses in securing overseas positions. The demand for Indian nurses is particularly high in areas such as critical care, geriatrics, and prenatal services . To attract more professionals, several countries have eased entry requirements, including language proficiency and licensing exams. Earlier this month, BorderPlus announced a commitment of Rs 10 crore in scholarships over the next two years to support Indian nurses pursuing international careers. The initiative, revealed on International Nurses Day, is aimed at helping deserving and aspiring nurses navigate global career pathways by addressing barriers such as exam costs, documentation challenges, and lack of structured guidance. To support this initiative on the ground, BorderPlus also inaugurated its first regional Training and Support Centre in Kochi. The facility currently supports over 120 candidates and plans to expand its capacity to more than 500. Services include in-person exam preparation, counselling, and documentation support. Digital offerings from the Kochi centre will further extend assistance to nurses across Kerala and neighbouring states. The centre is operated by a local franchisee partner, with enrolments already underway. The company will also introduce digital-first solutions to streamline hiring, improve language training and ensure seamless integration for healthcare professionals. However, this migration has implications for India's healthcare system. With a nurse-to-population ratio of 1.96 per 1,000, India falls short of the WHO's recommended 3 per 1,000 . The exodus of nurses exacerbates this shortage, particularly in rural and underserved areas. Experts suggest that improving domestic working conditions, offering competitive salaries, and expanding training facilities are essential steps to retain nursing talent within the country . Citing figures from the regulatory body Indian Nursing Council, Association of Healthcare Providers (India) director general Dr Girdhar Gyani said last week there are more than 33 lakh nursing personnel registered in the country but this figure is dismal given India's 1.3 billion population. ''With 1.96 nurses per 1,000 population, India falls short of the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended rate of three nurses per 1,000 population,'' he was quoted as saying by PTI. Director of the Ujala Cygnus Group of Hospitals, Dr Shuchin Bajaj told PTI, "While the shortage of nurses and their massive emigration to foreign countries is a cause for worry, there is a need to train them at home, especially amid the advent of health tech and other technologies." "The challenges are more persistent in Tier-2 and 3 cities, where there is a lack of a trained healthcare force despite the establishment of state-of-the-art hospitals or health facilities. Apart from that, the nursing community also looks forward to greater support from the government," he added. Why are Indian nurses in demand overseas? Indian nurses are in demand because of their strong clinical skills, English proficiency, and willingness to relocate. Agencies like BorderPlus help them transition smoothly by arranging jobs, visas, and even language training. How much do they earn overseas? Germany: Starting salary of €2,700/month (₹2.6 lakh), increasing to €3,300 (₹3.2 lakh) after licensure Ireland: Offers €1,700–2,500/month (₹1.7–2.5 lakh) Malta and ???????? Belgium offer similar packages UAE: Starting salaries around ₹75,000–1.5 lakh/month, plus tax-free income and perks According to Kerala government-run Overseas Development and Employment Promotion Consultants (ODEPC), the salary offers from Dubai have more than doubled from 4,000-5,000 dirhams (Rs 80,000- Rs 1 lakh) to 10,000-12,000 dirhams (Rs 2 lakh-2.4 lakh). In comparison, many private hospitals in India pay just ₹20,000–40,000/month. For nurses, this is a no-brainer. It is estimated that Germany will need an additional 150,000 nurses in 2025. To overcome the shortage, there is an urgent need for structured and transparent hiring pathways to ensure a sustainable healthcare workforce in the region. To meet such growing demand, Germany aims to recruit 500,000 nurses by 2030, which facilitates ethical and structured migration pathways for healthcare workers. In April 2025, BorderPlus has acquired German healthcare recruitment firm Onea Care. With this acquisition, the company aims to formalise Germany's fragmented healthcare recruitment sector by facilitating skilled talent from India through "transparent and trustworthy" routes. Prior to the acquisition, Onea was sourcing talent from markets like Brazil, North Africa, Indonesia, Turkey, the Middle East, and Philippines. Now, the company will start positioning India as its primary market for sourcing candidates. 'It (the acquisition) also allows us to expand our sourcing to markets where Onea was operational in. We will now have multi-sourcing ability into Germany, which gives us more diversity and prevents over-indexing on the Indian market,' said Mayank Kumar, founder of BorderPlus.
The Hindu
15-05-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
The yearly ‘thank you' to nurses is not enough
May 12 has passed, an annual day where we honour Florence Nightingale and celebrate the unsung heroes of health care — nurses. We praised nurses on this day (International Nurses Day), but the urgency to truly empower the stars of our health-care system quickly fades. Nursing beyond tradition Nurses and midwives form nearly 47% of India's total health workforce, yet remain under-represented in leadership, policymaking, and autonomous clinical roles. The perception of nurses as being mere assistants to doctors still prevails, limiting their potential, despite global trends that prove otherwise. The role of Nurse Practitioners (NPs) as independent, advanced care providers capable of addressing health-care gaps has been embraced in Australia, Botswana, Brazil, South Africa, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States and Zambia. NPs are advanced practice registered nurses (such as clinical nurse specialists, certified nurse midwives and certified registered nurse anaesthetists) with specialised training, usually at the master's level. They are certified to diagnose, treat, and prescribe independently in many settings. India has recognised the need for NPs, particularly to expand health-care access in underserved areas. The National Health Policy 2017 has acknowledged that mid-level providers, including NPs, are crucial to primary care. Despite the Indian Nursing Council (INC) initiating structured NP programmes, notably the Nurse Practitioner in Critical Care (NPCC) in 2017 and also the Nurse Practitioner in Primary Health Care (NPPHC), integration remains slow. Initiatives such as the NP in Midwifery programme (2002) in West Bengal and similar efforts in Telangana and Kerala have struggled in the absence of a clear legal framework, defined roles and protected titles. Although some institutions have developed in-house training for extended roles (stoma nurses, diabetes educators, stroke nurses), these positions lack regulatory backing and national recognition. India's NP education programmes are designed to focus on advanced clinical skills, diagnosis, treatment, limited prescribing authority, and community engagement. However, there are challenges, a key barrier being the absence of a clear legal framework defining the NP scope of practice, including prescriptive rights. Resistance within some in the medical community, driven by fear of losing power, complicates integration. The curriculum emphasises clinical skills but leaves regulatory frameworks, licensure clarity, and career pathways murky. Who will licence NPs? Will they be recognised legally? Will they be absorbed into public systems or left out? This ambiguity is not just administrative, but is also existential for nurses. Lessons from Australia The NP movement in Australia is instructive, having begun with a clear goal to improve access in underserved areas and provide clinical autonomy to qualified nurses. But what made it work was more than just policy; it was politics. Nursing movements were part of the policy dialogues. Legislation protected the NP title. Licensure was formalised. Career ladders were created. Importantly, nurse-led models such as walk-in centres demonstrated that care does not always need a physician's stamp to be effective, safe, and appreciated. Resistance to nurse autonomy in India stems not only from policy gaps but from entrenched cultural, gender, and hierarchical biases that position nurses, predominantly women, as subordinates to doctors. This mindset influences policy decisions, including opposition to NP roles by the medical community, despite global evidence of their effectiveness. There is also a crisis in the nursing education sector due to lax regulation and corruption. Although the National Nursing and Midwifery Commission Act, 2023, signals reform, its real impact remains uncertain. Compounding these challenges is the lack of strong, unified nursing movements, limiting the profession's power to engage in policy processes. Let nurses lead NPs are formally recognised in a number of high-income, low- and middle-income countries. Ironically, while Indian nurses excel abroad in NP roles, their potential remains untapped at home. Evidence shows NP-led care matches those with physician outcomes, with high patient satisfaction and lower costs. For India, adopting a collaborative, team-based care model, where nurses practise to their full scope, is progressive and essential to delivering equitable and quality health care. Realising NP roles in India demands urgent reforms in nursing education, regulation and nursing leadership. This includes closing substandard colleges, enhancing faculty competency, bridging the theory-practice gap, and integrating ethics and leadership, and policy engagement components into nursing curricula. Legal recognition of NPs, with defined licensure and accountability, is crucial. Clear career pathways, fair pay and advancement opportunities must replace the stagnation in nursing roles. Addressing the gender-based undervaluation of nursing is also essential. Critically, nurses must lead nursing reforms through sustained policy engagement. Given their lived experiences, nurses are uniquely positioned to advocate change and challenge medical hierarchy. To achieve this, grassroots nursing movements that are bolstered by strategic alliances and driven by courage, commitment, and the capacity to speak truth to power are needed. A yearly 'thank you' is not enough. India needs a health system that sees nurses not just as caregivers but also as leaders. Honouring them means confronting hard truths about power and privilege. Meena Putturaj is an Assistant Professor, DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance Fellow at the Institute of Public Health Bengaluru
The Hindu
12-05-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Act on plea to streamline NRTS, Delhi HC tells Indian Nursing Council
The Delhi High Court has directed the Indian Nursing Council (INC) to take a decision on a representation seeking the effective and upgraded functioning of the Nurses Registration and Tracking System (NRTS). The court's May 7 order came while disposing of a writ petition that highlighted deficiencies in the current system and called for its improvement. The petitioner, Indian Professional Nurses Association (IPNA), had urged the court to issue directions ensuring that the NRTS is streamlined and made fully operational in accordance with the standards laid out by the authorities. The NRTS is a digital platform meant to maintain a central database of registered nurses across India. 'The decision on the said representation by the competent authority of the Indian Nursing Council shall be taken by passing a reasoned and speaking order in accordance with law and the rules applicable thereto,' the court said. The court further directed that the decision be made within six weeks of the petitioner submitting a certified copy of the order to the council.
New Indian Express
11-05-2025
- Health
- New Indian Express
Delhi HC asks Nursing Council to review plea on flawed registration system
NEW DELHI: The Delhi HC has asked the Indian Nursing Council to examine and decide on a request seeking improvements to the Nurses Registration and Tracking System (NRTS), citing concerns over its inefficiency. A Bench of Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyay and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela passed the order on May 7, directing the Council to issue a reasoned decision in line with applicable laws and regulations. The order further stated that a formal response must be issued within six weeks of receiving a certified copy of the Court's directions, and the outcome must be duly communicated to the petitioner. The petition, filed by the Indian Professional Nurses Association (IPNA) through Advocate Robin Raju, called for regular assessment of the support extended by State Nurses Registration Councils (SNRCs) in maintaining the NRTS. The plea relied on a 2019 circular which envisioned stronger cooperation between the national and state-level bodies.
India Gazette
10-05-2025
- Health
- India Gazette
Delhi HC directs Nursing Council to decide on streamlining nurses' registration system
New Delhi [India], May 10 (ANI): The Delhi High Court has directed the Indian Nursing Council to review and decide on a representation seeking improvements in the Nurses Registration and Tracking System (NRTS) to enhance its efficiency and effectiveness. A bench comprising Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyay and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela issued the order on May 7, 2025, stating that the competent authority must make its decision through a reasoned and formal order in accordance with relevant laws and regulations. The directives mandate that the decision be made within six weeks from the date a certified copy of the order is presented to the Indian Nursing Council. Furthermore, the decision must be formally communicated to the petitioner. The plea, filed by the Indian Professional Nurses Association (IPNA) through Advocate Robin Raju, urged regular reviews of the support provided by State Nurses Registration Councils (SNRCs) in maintaining NRTS, as per a 2019 circular. Developed by the Indian Nursing Council with the National Informatics Centre, NRTS was designed to streamline the Indian Nurses Register. The system was meant to standardise registration processes, including Aadhaar-based verification, reciprocal registration, and higher qualification registration, while enabling online applications to reduce delays. However, the petition argued that the system has not met its objectives. Currently, 1,276,762 nurses are enrolled, far below the 2020 parliamentary figures estimating over 21 lakh registered nurses and midwives. Many nurses still lack the National Unique Identity Number (NUID), which was supposed to provide incentives like Continuing Nursing Education. The plea also pointed out missing data on reciprocal registration and No Objection Certificates, suggesting poor coordination between the Indian Nursing Council and State Nurses Registration Councils. The NRTS portal appears to have become just a data-providing website, and the stated objective to ease the process of registration and other ancillary formalities by reducing the delay in the prevalent process has been diluted with time, the plea stated. (ANI)
