Collaboration key to better nursing quality in Indonesia and Australia
JAKARTA, 2 September 2024 – Greater bilateral cooperation could open the door for Indonesia’s nurses to tap into international markets where they are in high demand, like Australia, according to new reports by the government-backed economic cooperation program Katalis. With Indonesia now producing more qualified nurses than it needs, there may be increasing opportunities for greater migration, as long as the right foundations are in place.
That was the focus of robust discussions at a roundtable in Jakarta today, organised by government- backed economic cooperation program Katalis and the Indonesia Health Workforce Council (Konsil Tenaga Kesehatan Indonesia). Taking cues from Katalis’s new reports, the discussions, which took on the theme “Indonesia-Australia Nursing Cooperation: What’s Next?” centred on the future of bilateral collaboration in the nursing profession.
The first report, a Market Opportunity Assessment, draws on interviews with stakeholders in Indonesia and Australia, as well as comprehensive data analysis, to describe trends in the need, demand and supply of nurses in Australia and Indonesia, as well as some of the barriers to nurse mobility. The second report, a Qualification Equivalence assessment, examines the levels of equivalence between the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) qualification standards for a registered nurse (RN) and Indonesian qualification standards for a professional nurse (PN). This comparison of accreditation standards for RN and PN education programs provides insights into what is needed to achieve greater alignment in nursing education between Australia and Indonesia.
“These reports, and the positive bilateral discussions, reveal there are great, and untapped, opportunities between Indonesia and Australia in nursing. We are hopeful that these constructive recommendations and conversations can help to influence future bilateral cooperation which not only benefits both countries, but patients as well,” said Paul Bartlett, Director, Katalis.
Key among the recommendations is the need to facilitate greater alignment in nursing education and practice across Indonesia and Australia with a focus on demonstrating how the Indonesian system aligns well with Australia’s training standards and accreditation systems. This is expected to increase transparency, particularly in critical areas such as patient and cultural safety. Actioning the recommendations, together with greater exposure to English, would increase the quality of nurses for Indonesia’s own health needs and ambitions to become a global medical tourism hub, as well as strengthen the opportunities for potential supply of Indonesian nurses for migration.
The reports also expand on previous work by Katalis to support greater bilateral cooperation in nursing, which included a comparative assessment of nursing standards in Indonesia and Australia. They also build on Katalis’s success in other sectors, with Katalis playing a key role in supporting Australia and Indonesia to establish a Mutual Recognition Agreement for professional engineers in June 2023, which is already creating new pathways for Indonesian engineers to work in Australia.
About Katalis
Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA) Economic CooperationProgram Katalis (Katalis) is a unique, five-year (2020-2025) government-backed business development program unlocking the vast potential of economic partnership between Australia and Indonesia. Katalis was established under the IA-CEPA and complements other Australian development programs with a commercially oriented, bilateral approach that prioritises gender equality and social inclusion.
Information and media contact
Ms Adhi Fitri Dinastiar | +62 822 2685 4874 | adhi.dinastiar@iacepa-katalis.org
