JAKARTA: The Indonesian National Nurses Association has signed an agreement with the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties for accreditation and professional development as it prepares to send more medical workers to the Kingdom.
Known as PPNI in Indonesia, it is the only official professional organization for nurses in the country, comprising more than 859,000 members, while its overseas chapter in Saudi Arabia represents over 1,100 registered nurses.
PPNI signed a memorandum of understanding with the SCFHS on Sunday, as they agreed to develop joint training programs and work together on official accreditation for Indonesian nurses, while also boosting their professional development.
According to Ade Koswara, who heads PPNI’s chapter in Saudi Arabia, the MoU is largely focused on capacity-building efforts for Indonesian healthcare workers and nurses.
“We will conduct a bridging program for Indonesian nurses who are already in Saudi Arabia, in the form of training and educational sessions that would allow them to be more ready and prepared for Saudi board exams,” Koswara told Arab News on Wednesday.
“For Indonesian nurses who are still in Indonesia, this agreement will have a positive impact as it would allow them to come more prepared for a career in Saudi Arabia that matches the Kingdom’s standards.”
The SCFHS is Saudi Arabia’s national regulatory authority, responsible for licensing and certifying healthcare workers across the Kingdom as well as organizing various programs for professional development in the medical sector.
The agreement also opens up an opportunity for PPNI to develop a prometric test center, which administers computer-based licensing and certification exams for nurses, and a training institute that would be accredited by Saudi authorities.
Helping advance the professional competence of Indonesian nurses would allow more of them to enter the Saudi labor market and is in line with Saudi Arabia’s ongoing efforts to improve the professional competence of employees under its Vision 2030.
Saudi Arabia is among the top destination countries for Indonesian migrant workers and ranked sixth in 2025, according to government data.
