New Brunswick Signs Healthcare Recruitment Agreement with Indonesia

On October 17, 2025, New Brunswick signed a historic healthcare recruitment agreement with Indonesia, marking the first formal partnership of its kind between Indonesia and a Canadian province. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) will facilitate the recruitment of trained nurses and personal support workers to help address the province’s ongoing healthcare workforce shortage.

This agreement not only provides a new source of skilled health professionals but also ensures that Indonesia’s healthcare workers receive support with credential recognition and immigration processes, making it easier for them to work in New Brunswick.

Key Features of the Recruitment Agreement

The MOU establishes a framework for recruiting healthcare workers and provides navigation assistance for international recruits. Key components include:

• Assistance with recognizing foreign qualifications
• Support through immigration procedures
• Opportunities for employment with New Brunswick healthcare employers

Health Minister John Dornan highlighted that this agreement is essential to addressing human resource gaps and ensuring that New Brunswick’s healthcare system remains well-staffed.

A Mutually Beneficial Partnership

The MOU is designed to benefit both New Brunswick and Indonesian healthcare professionals. Indonesian workers gain international experience, while New Brunswick receives trained personnel to support hospitals and care facilities.

Dwi Setiawan Susanto, a senior official from Indonesia, emphasized that the partnership is transparent and accountable, protecting foreign workers while helping them contribute effectively to the province’s healthcare system.

Building on Past Recruitment Efforts

Since 2019, New Brunswick has recruited over 1,300 internationally educated nurses, providing expedited licensing pathways for professionals from fourteen countries. The new agreement with Indonesia expands this recruitment strategy, ensuring that the province can continue to meet its healthcare staffing needs.

Employers in New Brunswick can now offer positions to identified candidates, helping to reduce pressure on the healthcare system and improve patient care.

Strengthening Healthcare Through International Collaboration

The New Brunswick-Indonesia healthcare agreement marks a major step in solving workforce shortages while offering valuable international opportunities. By providing structured support for foreign nurses and personal support workers, the province ensures that residents receive quality care while building a sustainable healthcare workforce for the future.

This partnership also sets a model for other provinces looking to address staffing gaps in critical sectors. By combining international recruitment with local support systems, New Brunswick demonstrates that thoughtful collaboration can strengthen public services, improve patient outcomes, and create opportunities for skilled professionals worldwide.