Healthcare institutions have had to pay 50,000 euros per Indonesian nurse. That money went to the Yomema mediation agency and the trainer Avans+. A small portion went to nurses themselves.
It is not surprising that foreign nurses are being looked at, since according to the Central Bureau of Statistics, 135,000 euros of people will be needed in the coming years. Because it can be difficult to recruit staff yourself, institutions sometimes also use mediation agencies. According to EenVandaag, such parties have “a great position of power” because of the shortages. “Healthcare institutions pay big money for employees.”
SP leader Lilian Marijnissen calls it “ordinary cashing on the backs of vulnerable people from Indonesia”. Migration law professor Tesseltje de Lange from Radboud University also questions the recruitment of staff abroad. She believes that the government should take much more responsibility and ensure that companies adhere to the rules.
The spokesperson for Zorggroep Drenthe says that the institution has made good calculations in advance. “Mrs. Marijnissen is free to indicate what she thinks. Prior to starting the process, we looked at the total costs and calculated them. The outcome of this calculation did not give us a reason not to start the process.”
At the same time, the professor understands that institutions such as Zorggroep Drenthe use mediation companies. Precisely because of the major staff shortages. “A cat in a corner makes strange jumps, especially if it is all possible,” she says to EenVandaag. She calls on the government to clarify and simplify rules. She also wants a company not to be allowed to simply hire staff from abroad. “A solution would be for the government to appoint a number of companies to take care of this, and no longer let every company do its own thing.”
Zorggroep Drenthe says that turning to mediation agencies is logical. “Due to the tightness on the healthcare labor market and the above-average high absenteeism in healthcare, many elderly care organizations cannot avoid hiring staff through mediation agencies. This is no different for Zorggroep Drenthe.”
The unrest among healthcare students at Zorggroep Drenthe came to light last summer via RTV Drenthe. The Indonesians complained that they had to work six days a week, worked broken shifts and barely received internship guidance. EenVandaag reported earlier this week that students had to sign a strict contract with Yomema. If they were to terminate their studies early, they would have to pay a fine of 9,200 euros. That is equivalent to three annual salaries in Indonesia. The students are also not accommodated in Drenthe according to the rules. Yomema submitted forms to the ministry on behalf of the students, which the students themselves had never seen.
Zorggroep Drenthe announced yesterday that it was not aware of the restrictive contracts, nor of the tampering with applications. “If we had been aware of this in time, it would certainly have led to critical questions on our part,” a spokesperson said. This weekend it was announced that ten nurses had resigned.
Yomema stated that students were aware of the fine amount. “Yomema acknowledges that the first group of students signed an agreement in which they were promised a repayment obligation if they were to drop out prematurely. After all, offering a six-month preliminary training free of charge involves investments. This fine acts as a stick behind the door “has been drawn up in consultation with the Ministry of Health in Indonesia,” the website states.