Lagatah Toyos
TAWAU: The Ministry of Health and Sabah Health Department have been urged to survey the growing number of unemployed trained nursing students in the State.
Tawau Member of Parliament Datuk Chua Soon Bui said both parties should give priority or provide vacancies for them or else it would be a waste of trained human capital in Sabah.
The Health Ministry, especially the Sabah Health Department, should study the market needs of nursing staff in hospitals instead," she said.
She was commenting on Ministry of Health Training Division Secretary Dato' Abu Bakar Othman's statement in an event here, recently.
Abu Bakar had stated that the appointment or recruitment of nursing trainees depends on their personal excellence and achievement.
In this respect, Chua revealed she received complaints that many of these trained students from nursing schools are not given opportunities to serve in government hospitals.
"Some were even told that they should seek jobs in private hospitals and clinics.
"Many of these unemployed graduates are from the interior parts of Sabah, especially in the rural areas here," she said.
She further explained that many Sabah girls who had failed to get into community nursing training colleges were forced to enrol into private nurses' training colleges.
Their families had to loan money to fund their training in these private colleges, Chua pointed out.
"Their families are now in debt with the repayment of their loans while their children are unemployed. This is a growing serious matter in our community," she stressed.
The failure to address the matter would further aggravate unemployment among youths, she added.
Daily Express
Sunday, February 26, 2012
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