TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - State-Owned Enterprises or SOE Minister Erick Thohir planned to continue to export medical personnel including nurses overseas. One of the targeted countries is Japan.

“Due to the need of 350,000 nurses, they can partner with us to employ our people,” said Erick during a meeting with the country’s ambassadors at Foreign Affairs Ministry Office, Central Jakarta, Thursday, January 9.

To boost the export, Erick said he would first consolidate hospitals joined in a holding firm formed since March 2017 by former SOE minister Rini Soemarno and hold the initial public offering (IPO).

Back in June 2019, Japan Embassy in Jakarta saw off 329 medical personnel and geriatric nurses to work in Japan. The departure was the 11th group of medical workers and nurses from Indonesia to Japan.

The Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers Agency (BNP2TKI) deputy for placement, Teguh Hendro Cahyono, said at that time that the program was a part of the Indonesia-Japan economic partnership established since 2008.

He said the number of medical workers departing to Japan increased each year, showing the high enthusiasm of Indonesians which mainly caused by high salaries offered.

Erick Thohir went on to say that 70 to 80 percent of tasks mandated to the country’s delegates are in the economic sector which one of them includes boosting the export. “This is what we expect from ambassadors,” he said.

FAJAR PEBRIANTO