Manama: Qatar needs a nursing institute offering diplomas to meet the continuing shortage of nursing professionals in the country, a senior official has said.

Stressing the need for a new nursing institute, Dr Nabila Al Meer, executive director of the Nursing Department at the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) said that the Calgary University Qatar, the only such facility here cannot possibly meet all the requirements of the country.

“Every year, 20 nurses graduate from the university, which is too inadequate to fulfill the current requirements. We need a nursing institute offering diplomas, since all those studying nursing would not be interested in a bachelor degree,” Al Meer said, quoted by Qatari daily The Peninsula.

The institute would also help attract more Qatari girls to the nursing profession, she said.

According to Al Meer, HMC is currently reviewing its nursing strategies to develop a new strategy for the next five years. Several new projects are planned to address the rising demand for nursing professionals.

“HMC currently has nurses from 45 nationalities. We are working on a programme to unify the practice of nurses coming from different countries and backgrounds, based on scientific evidence,” she said.

She said the department was responsible for putting strategies for the nursing sector in line with the general health strategies of the HMC. It is also assigned with the task of finding more nursing staff to cope with the expansion in the health sector in the country.
She said more women in the region were now opting for a nursing career.

Among the GCC countries, Oman and Bahrain have the highest number of women nurses where nursing is considerable a highly attractive option.