Saudi Arabia would hire hundreds of nurses from Sri Lanka this year in different rounds to meet the increasing demands, the South Asian country’s labour ministry said.

The first round of recruitment took place in Colombo last week, according to Gulf News. Ninety-five nurses with Bachelor of Science degrees were selected from a pool of 400 applicants.

Sanjay Nallaperuma, the media secretary of the ministry, the kingdom’s decision was taken because of the increasing demand in the medical sector.

In the initial phase, as many as 1,000 nurses would be hired in a 12-month rolling programme. Another recruitment cycle would begin in August.

The hired nurses are expected to earn 5,250 riyals (approximately $1,400), improving the island country’s economy as they would also send remittances to the home country.

Reports say that approximately 200,000 Sri Lankans leave the country annually in search of better employment opportunities. To a great extent, the country relies on foreign exchange.