New facts have surfaced on the issue of nurses contracted by private companies to work for the government hospitals and health centers which show that these companies terminated the contracts of these nurses when their services were most needed at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic and when there was a big shortage of medical and nursing staff when investigations that these companies trade-in work permits and sold visas for huge sums of money between 2000 and 5000 dinars to bring nurses from their respective countries.
Al-Qabas sources disclosed, the investigations also revealed one company was suspected of collecting up to one million dinars within a few months from these nurses and doctors to allow them to transfer work permits to other places.
While state agencies are working to combat the visa trade, some nursing staff recruiting companies continue to profit from ‘medical staff trade’ through manipulation, blackmail, and exploiting their circumstances after bringing them from their countries.
Senior sources at the Public Authority Manpower pointed out that during investigations by the employment protection sector with hundreds of nurses and other nursing staff, explained that these companies had terminated their contracts with the Ministry of Health and were blackmailed and it was kind of extortion and exploitation during the Corona pandemic, and many of them were forced to pay money to the company because there was no way out.
The sources indicated that some company officials were summoned and interrogated about obtaining sums of money in exchange for transferring to contracts with the Ministry of Health, and legal procedures are being initiated against them.
The sources confirmed the labor protection sector, is continuing to combat the visa trade and refer various suspicions that are registered with it are referred to the Public Prosecution.
PAM has recorded hundreds of complaints about the past days and investigations are still underway. According to the same sources, the authority has the power to transfer the residences of all medical and nursing staff affected by the force of law without the companies’ approval to direct contracts with the Ministry of Health, if the latter so desires.
The sources indicated PAM has asked the government agencies and the Central Tenders Committee to reduce the rates of contracts with companies to provide medical staff or human resources to government agencies to meet the need by direct contracting.
The sources mentioned the proposal includes reducing the percentage to 50% so that the employment needed by government agencies is provided through direct contracting in accordance with the regulations of the Civil Service Commission without the need for tenders to be floated and contracts to be signed linking this to the need of the ministries.
The following urgent actions are called for:
■ Summon nursing company officials for interrogation
■ Refer those involved in the visa trade to the Prosecution
■ Coordination with the concerned authorities to contract directly with the nurses
■ Put in place a strict mechanism to prevent manipulation and exploitation of medical and nursing staff
■ Work to transfer the residencies of those affected without the approval of companies
In the midst of all this, a number of nurses confirmed to Al-Qabas that they obtained a transfer from their companies to contract with the Ministry of Health, but so far the ministry has not completed the procedures for hiring them, even though we were working in various hospitals sectors before our companies terminated our services.
They added: “We answered the tests and completed the transactions required of us to return to our work in the Ministry of Health again, but so far we are still stuck between the delay in approvals and the expiry of our work permits, forcing us to bargain with the companies which have sponsored us.”