Ever since the United Arab Emirates decided to make a bachelor’s degree in nursing as the minimum qualification to employ nurses in hospitals, tens of hundreds of Indian nurses holding diploma certificates in nursing have lost their jobs or have been demoted.
The UAE authorities have allowed the demoted nursing diploma holders or those who have lost their jobs to earn a degree in nursing by 2020 from any of the universities in the country conducting an accredited Post Basic BSc Nursing program. Depending on the university, the cost of a Post Basic BSc Nursing Program in UAE ranges from Dh55,000 to Dh75,000.
However, in order to enroll in UAE universities, nurses need to obtain an equivalency certificate issued by the country’s Ministry of Education. The dilemma for Indian nurses is that the education ministry is issuing equivalency certificates only to those who hold nursing diplomas issued by the Indian state of Kerala, as it is the only state whose nursing council is recognized by the UAE education ministry.
Kerala sends the highest number of nurses to the UAE. Nurses, who have done diploma courses from other Indian states are urging the UAE ministry to recognise the Indian Nursing Council, which governs all the state nursing councils, so that their diploma certificates can also be recognised and equivalency certificates issued.
Speaking about the issue, the Consul General of India in Dubai said: “We have already taken it up with the nursing councils in India and the local authorities here and we hope that a solution will be found soon.”
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