Date:12/08/2004 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2004/08/12/stories/2004081202660300.htm

Back GlobeMed, Happy group join hands to train nurses for US

Our Bureau

Kolkata , Aug. 11

THE Virginia-headquartered global medical staffing major, GlobeMed Resources, has tied up with Happy e Services, a division of the Kolkata-based Happy Group of Companies, to provide training to Indian nurses and recruiting them to permanent positions in hospitals in the US.

According to Mr Ram Kumaar, Vice-President - India Operations of GlobeMed Resources, there was a severe shortage of trained nurses in the US. The figure in this regard has been pegged at 1,36,000 as of 2003. As such, there was great scope for fulfilling the demand by providing nurses trained in India. These nurses would be sent to the US under the Green Card option and, hence, they would be able to take their families along with them as well. To begin with, they could earn a monthly salary of Rs 2-3 lakh each.

Addressing a news conference here on Wednesday, Mr Kumaar said that, to be eligible to go to the US, every qualified nurse would have to take two separate examinations - the Commission on Graduate of Foreign Nursing School and the International English Language Testing System. These nurses would have to undergo training for a period of one year before they are ready to go to the US. While they would have to pay Rs 6,000 for the entire training, GlobeMed would bear the costs of the visa, green card, air tickets, examination fee, etc. "We do not charge the nurses anything. Our revenue comes from the placement services fee that we get from the US hospitals," Mr Kumaar said.

He said that GlobeMed had already placed 75 nurses in the US hospitals while another 195 green card applications were in advanced stages of processing.