Saudi to fund $40m nurses college in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka will establish an accredited nurses' training institute at a cost of $40m with funds from Saudi Arabia, it was reported on Sunday. Saudi Arabia is to fund the construction of the facility for providing training to the nurses under a joint venture programme, Amal Senalankadikara, chairman of the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) told Arab News. According to Senalankadikara, this is the first such joint venture to be worked out between the two countries in the health sector. The facility, the first in the country, is to be constructed by the Jeddah-based SHIC and will include a nurses' training college, a 100-bed hospital and laboratories. Under the agreement, the SLBFE will provide land for the facility and the SHIC will build and equip it. Sri Lankan authorities, aiming to train the nurses according to best global practices, plan to seek US expertise in training, it was reported. According to the agreement SLBFE will help secure jobs in health institutions abroad for Sri Lankan nurses who graduate from the college. Negotiations have been held with a number of countries in Europe, the Middle East and the United States to obtain jobs for Sri Lankan nurses, Arab News said. From Arabian Business