AN INDIAN government minister made a special visit to the North West to meet nurses working and training as part of Health Education England’s (HEE) global learners scheme.

The Minister for Labour and Excise, the Hon TP Ramakrishnan visited the Royal Blackburn Hospital where he was welcomed by director of nursing Christine Pearson.

He met nurses from the Kerala State currently providing healthcare services for patients while enhancing their skills through training at East Lancashire Hospitals Trust.

The minister spoke to the nurses about their experiences of coming to work and train in England and discussed the programme with management teams at HEE and the trust.

Following his visit, Mr Ramakrishnan said: “It has been a very useful visit.

"I am very impressed with the nurses I met.

"They are clearly benefiting from their time in England and improving their skills every day with a world-class health care provider.

“The nurses have been extremely well looked after in East Lancashire and the global engagement team at Health Education England.

"This is a scheme we would wish to see expand and something we would like more nursing staff in Kerala to experience," he added.