Indonesian nurse forced to drop out of Japan training program for health reasons

Mainichi Japan | July 22, 2009

Indonesian nurse forced to drop out of Japan training program for health reasons

JAKARTA, Indonesia — One of the first ever group of Indonesian nursing trainees — dispatched to Japan last year based on the Japan-Indonesia Economic Partnership Agreement — has dropped out, it has been learned.

Nurul Huda, 26, who had been working at a hospital in Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, was forced to return to Indonesia after nine months because the cold climate was affecting her health. Huda says she has good memories of Japan, however.

"The Japanese people I met always had a kind word for me," she said. "I’m still grateful towards them."

After arriving with fellow candidates last August, Nurul underwent training in Tokyo until February. She had experienced sinus infections and exhibited other symptoms whenever the temperature dropped since she was a child, but said: "I didn’t have any health problems during training." After moving to Hachinohe, however, she began to suffer headaches and skin inflammation.

For Nurul, who is originally from central Sumatra, one of the more hot and humid areas of Indonesia, winter in Hachinohe "surpassed anything (she) had imagined," and she "almost lost consciousness" during her five-minute commute on foot. She did not find relief even after she received medication for her symptoms, and for a while she could only go to work three to four times a week. After determining that she was causing too much trouble for her colleagues, she decided to return to Indonesia. She cancelled her contract and returned home at her own expense.

She now works as a lecturer at a local nursing school. She’d left her husband behind when she was dispatched to Japan, and upon returning, she became pregnant. She looks back on her time in Japan with fondness.

"It had always been my dream to work abroad, especially in Japan," she says. "I wasn’t able to fulfill my duty, but I had a wonderful experience. I wish the best for my colleagues who are still there."

Last year, 208 nurses and nursing care workers were dispatched to Japan from Indonesia for the first time. The program was changed this year, with the first four months of training taking place in Indonesia. Currently, 350 candidates are undergoing training.

source : Mainichi

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