Ministry appoints all RAK nursing school graduates

Ras Al Khaimah: Humaid Mohammad Obaid Al Qutami, Minister of Health, has approved the recruitment of all graduates of the Ras Al Khaimah Nursing Institute of the past few years.

The ministry's appointment decision includes all Emiratis and expatriate graduates of the previous academic years.

The new nurses are expected to go on duty within the next few days, as soon as they receive official letters from the ministry.

Abdullah Al Shahin, who heads the Ras Al Khaimah medical district, said the graduate nurses and their families had complained that they had not received appointments yet.

When these trainees were admitted to the nursing institute, their guardians signed pledges that their daughters would work for the Ministry of Health for at least three years. But they did not get appointments on completion of their studies.

Meanwhile, the emirate's hospitals and medical centres suffered from nurse shortages which forced many of them to reduce services and beds. Many expatriate nurses had resigned, leaving UAE medical centres understaffed.

Experienced nurses are in demand worldwide, meaning the vast majority of them left for positions in the US, Europe and Canada.

Al Shahin said offering graduates of the Nursing Institute positions serves a dual purpose. They will gain experience and the shortage will be addressed.

He said the newly appointed nurses will be distributed among the emirate's hospitals and medical centres according to their needs. He said medical services offered in the emirate are expected to improve with the appointment of these graduates.