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200 Indian healthcare workers to join NHS Wales

By Emily Price
Health Secretary Jeremy Miles in India - Image: Welsh Government

A further 200 nurses and doctors from Kerala in India will be recruited to join the health service in Wales.

The Welsh Government says the announcement strengthens the agreement ministers made with the Government of Kerala last year to support ethical recruitment from India to Wales, and on the basis of "mutual benefit".

The NHS in Wales now has more staff than at any point in its history, directly employing almost 97,000 full-time equivalent staff.

The Cardiff Bay administration says that by welcoming healthcare professionals from Kerala, the NHS is benefiting from a "wealth of knowledge" which bring skills and experience that "enrich the healthcare system".

More than 300 healthcare professionals have already taken up positions across NHS Wales from the Indian state since the agreement was signed in March 2024.

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Thanks

Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care Jeremy Miles met staff coming to Wales and thanked them for their support of the Welsh NHS.

Staff Nurse Teena Thomas from Karunagappally is set to join NHS Wales soon.

She said: "I'm drawn to NHS Wales' commitment to providing high-quality patient care and its reputation for excellence in healthcare.

"I'm excited to be part of a team that values compassion, kindness, and respect. The opportunity to work in a multicultural environment and contribute to the well-being of the Welsh community is truly fulfilling.

"I'm looking forward to developing my skills and expertise in a supportive and inclusive work environment."

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'Committed'

The Health Secretary also met with Minister for Health, Woman and Child Development, Veena George, to reaffirm and strengthen the working relationship between Wales and Kerala.

Health Secretary, Jeremy Miles said: "We are committed to delivering a sustainable NHS workforce which can handle present demands and meet the needs of the future.

"Wales has a long and proud tradition of welcoming healthcare professionals from all over the world and ethical international recruitment is a key part of our workforce strategy to ensure that the NHS in Wales has the right people and skills it needs.

"I am pleased a further 200 healthcare professionals from Kerala will be playing an important part in supporting NHS Wales, joining those who have already been recruited to our healthcare system.

"I thank them for everything they do and the Government of Kerala for the warm welcome and look forward to continuing to build our strong working relationship."

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12 comments

Jeff

How many have we lost because of brexit? That will be an interesting look.

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Adrian

Immigration has sky-rocketed since Brexit Jeff.

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Bilbo

The people voted to replace European migration within global migration. They knew that's what was meant by #GlobalBritain. Those that said Brexiteers were racist couldn't be more wrong because they knew they were choosing to have their final days on earth in the fine care of fine folk from anywhere but here.

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Mab Meirion

I think he is talking about those lovely, caring and professional Spanish nurses we used know and love...

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Jeff

Avoid the question eh.

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Mab Meirion

A letter from India... Having a great time, thanks for the curtain closing jolly, people of Cymru...

Reply
Mab Meirion

Does Modiji, that great ally of Putin, know that Mr J Miles MS of the 'Welsh Government' is in India ?

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hdavies15

Robbing India of its talent is the prancing minister's way of dealing with the recruitment and training crisis in the NHS. Just carrying on with the Barreness' good work.

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Mab Meirion

Whoops, tea all over the screen...

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Alan Jones

My thoughts exactly, we bemoan the fact we train up staff to go on to apply their skills in the NHS but who then go on to practice those skills in the private sector, yet, here we are carrying out the same type of practise with recruiting staff from India. It's another instance of kicking the can down the road instead of getting to grips with the root causes of shortages of clinical staff into the NHS. Cardiff university stating their intention to shut down the nursing courses should be the rallying call for our parliamentarians to get to grips with this issue at both a local & national level.

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Walter Hunt

If there is such a thing as a "moral compass" it seems to be stuck at "expediency". The UK government has just announced a massive cut to the overseas aid budget. Does the State of Kerala (or India or other countries in the Global South) not need these healthcare workers? Training is cut here (Cardiff University is proposing to axe its nursing course) and skilled workers are poached from less economically developed countries, yet here at the same time, 4-day weeks and UBI are contemplated and the number of the economically inactive continues to increase.

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Y Cymro

Welsh Labour's been in power for 26 years. We shouldn't be cherry picking nurses from India or from any other country. We should now be self sufficient by training our own consultants , doctors & nurses? And don't get me wrong , those Indian nurses presence in our hospitals are vital, as they keep the heart beating of the Welsh NHS, but we shouldn't be taking medical professionals away from countries that also need them.

Reply

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I think he is talking about those lovely, caring and professional Spanish nurses we used know and love...

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