"Quality of education of Indian nurses very high": Danish Minister on recruitment of Indian health workers in Denmark

By Ayushi Agarwal
New Delhi [India], March 7 : Terming the quality of education of Indian nurses as "very high", visiting Danish Minister of Higher Education and Science Christina Egelund said the recruitment of Indian health workers in Denmark could be a "genuine mutual benefit" from a possible agreement between the two countries.
She also noted that the "English-speaking" nature of Indians would add to the ease of recruitment in Denmark.
"Actually the quality of education of nurses, et cetera, here in India is very, very high. So I think that there could be a genuine mutual benefit from a possible agreement between our two countries when it comes to offering career opportunities of working in Denmark," the minister said while speaking to ANI.
Describing her India visit as "fruitful", the Danish Minister said she met the Indian Minister of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday and had the opportunity to discuss in more detail "how a possible partnership between my country Denmark and India on the recruitment and education of healthcare workers could be."
"India is the first country that we have a discussion, where we are negotiating with or having discussions to complete such a partnership. So, India is a very well-educated society, specifically when it comes to health care, so, that is the number one reason. The other reason is that it is also an English-speaking country which of course, levels the language barrier that might be between the two countries, especially for the individual who had to move to another country and also make a life for itself. I mean, taking on a job in a different country is not only about the working conditions, it is also about the life that you create for yourself there. The ability to actually make friends and be included in social networks...," the Danish Minister told ANI.
However, she stated, "Well, it would in the sense that so Denmark, like many other European countries, are challenged when it comes to recruiting personnel to our welfare system, more particularly the healthcare system. So we have a recruitment issue in Europe when it comes to that."
On her visit to Delhi, Egelund said, "Overall it was an overwhelming processive experience I had in Delhi for the last 4 days. We visited many research and educational institutions."
"It's been a very positive, very fruitful visit to Delhi, and I'm stunned by the sense of optimism that I feel is dominating in this country," she added.
Earlier, Danish Ambassador Freddy Svane expressed the strength of the India-Denmark relationship, emphasising shared values and a commitment to global sustainability.
"We have worked hard. Denmark and India, and India and Denmark, we are the best friends ever. We work together. We are, let's say, guided by five S's - scale of India is not how many people you are. That's really the size of your potential. The largest of your potential goes. What India and Denmark do together has to be also to the rest of the world and sustainability, green development," Ambassador Svane told ANI.
He highlighted the significance of their collaborative efforts, particularly in the Sundarbans region, where the topsoil family from Denmark has played a pivotal role in supporting the area's development.
Notably, India and Denmark established diplomatic relations in September 1949. Bilateral relations were elevated to the level of "Green Strategic Partnership" during the Virtual Summit held on September 28, 2020, between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen.
The current development of renewed India-Denmark relations has been guided by the "Green Strategic Partnership".