Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za

4 min read | 21:20 pm CAT

In this week’s edition of the Asia Pacific Report, Senior Research Fellow at Institute for Global Dialogue, Sanusha Naidu, speaks to Radio Islam International. 

Demand for Philippine nurses from Singapore to the UAE sparks a bidding war amid global talent shortage. 

An important area of global demand is the global health system. Countries like Singapore, including developed countries such as the UK, have begun to realise that there has been a shortage in healthcare systems for nurses, particularly following Covid-19. 

According to Naidu, the Philippines is becoming a central health probe because it is a demand-driven centre. Many young nurses will qualify in this period which will drive the supplied slide into the global market around the health care system. 

Naidu argues that the challenge is that the Philippines suffer from severe deficits in its healthcare system.

“The policies within the Philippines is not lucrative enough to make professional health care workers and in particular nurses to want to stay in the Philippines,” she says. 

The UAE has signed agreements with India, which will also be a supply chain for nurses to feed into the UAE health care system. The UAE has offered golden pieces to the nurses, meaning that for ten years, papers are unnecessary as a lot of incentives will be given.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian country experienced one of the largest stadium stampedes over the weekend, with more than 130 people succumbing fatally to the stampede.  

Naidu says, “It is now beginning to emerge that not the proper protocols were put into place in opening up all of the exits.” 

She added that the incident resulted from human error. However, police deny this was the case, saying that all exits were opened. 

The other issue that seems to give a sense of why the stampede happened is that the police had opened tear gas as people became agitated to leave the stadium. 

However, the underlying factors as to why the stampede occurred seem to be several issues coming into the fold. 

Investigations are being conducted into the conduct of behaviour following the suspension of the head of the police and other executive members of the police force.

Listen to the Asia Pacific Report with Moulana Habib Bobat and Sanusha Naidu on Radio Islam’s podcast below.