Banjarmasin, S Kalimatan (ANTARA) - The City Government of Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, dispatched 18 health workers to Japan as workforce delegates and scholarship recipients .
Mayor of Banjarmasin H Ibnu Sina, who officially sent them off to Japan in Banjarmasin, Friday, expressed his pride that this program is continuing.
The program to send health workers to Japan is a follow-up to collaboration between Banjarmasin and Kaikoukai Health Corporation in Nagoya, Japan.
"This is the second dispatch of Banjarmasin health workers to Japan," he said.
In addition to education, their collaboration covers nursing workers as caregivers in health facilities in Nagoya, Japan.
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Ibnu Sina said cooperation with Kaikoukai Health Corporation has been ongoing since 2023 with the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
"In the first batch, we sent 25 people who are now working in health facilities in Nagoya. The second batch consists of 18 people, and the third batch is scheduled to leave on November 5 and November 26, after they finish Japanese language training," said the mayor.
He affirmed that this cooperation is important as a solution to absorb nursing graduates in Banjarmasin. Their number reaches 1,000 every year, but only 20 percent are absorbed in the local job market.
He said the positive testimonials from Japan regarding work ethic and attitude of caregivers from Banjarmasin also strengthened optimism about this program.
"I hope that whoever is elected to be the next mayor can continue this program. In the next five years, when they return, we will prepare opportunities in hospitals or if they want to open their own clinics, their standard of services can match Japan," he said.
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