Good pay attracts Malaysian nurses to work abroad
Good pay, luxury perks and a greater learning experience are pushing more and more Malaysian nurses to work abroad, experts say.
“A staff nurse may earn between RM11,000-RM15,000 per month and from our research given the full facilities provided by the hospitals including free accommodation, transport and flight tickets, a nurse will only need to spend 10% of her salary on her daily needs,” Armand Abdullah, 42, the CEO and Managing Director of Melorita Healthcare, said (his company trains and sends around 400 to 500 nurses abroad to work, especially to Singapore and the Middle East).
“The greatest advantage would be the exposure they receive by working in world class facilities and with healthcare personnel and practices from all over the world,” he said, adding that this boosts their confidence and communication skills.
A senior lecturer who teaches nursing in a public university here agrees. The woman, who requested anonymity and wants to be known only as Mary, said that the trend of Malaysian nurses going abroad is not a new phenomenon and is actually increasing.
Every year, her university churns out 30 to 60 graduates in nursing. Of this figure, 20 % move abroad, to countries such as Singapore, Australia, and to Saudi Arabia after they have gained more experience.
“Our salary is among the lowest in Asia. It does not commensurate with our work. In Saudi, Malaysian nurses are recognized, well liked and given good pay,” she said.
What was worse, she said, the graduate nurses were given the same amount of salary as non-graduate nurses, adding that this demoralized trained graduate nurses as they had studied hard to achieve their position.
“Those of us who stayed back are the patriots who want to serve our own country,” she added.
