UAE | Health
Staff shortages plague ministry hospitals
Medical staff shortage in Health Ministry hospitals have reached "troubling" levels, with resignations outnumbering incoming staff at times, despite ministry efforts to recruit new people.
- By Nina Muslim, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:00 April 8, 2007
- The shortage of medical staff is due to high turnover rate and the number of people who resigned, says Dr Ali Shakar, Health Ministry Undersecretary.
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Dubai: Medical staff shortage in Health Ministry hospitals have reached "troubling" levels, with resignations outnumbering incoming staff at times, despite ministry efforts to recruit new people.
The medical director of Al Qasimi Hospital, brought in by the ministry last year to improve medical care standards at the hospital, resigned last week for undisclosed reasons, the latest in a long line of resignations.
Dr Ali Shakar, undersecretary at the ministry, admitted that the shortage of medical staff at ministry was "bad", despite their efforts to fill in vacancies.
"When I came to the ministry [last year], there were 800 vacancies. Now, we have recruited 750 people. We still have a shortage [due to] the high turnover rate and the number of people who resigned," he told Gulf News at the sidelines of a chronic renal failure conference yesterday.
Lack of qualifications
"The number of vacancies is smaller but it is [still] a bad shortage," he added.
He said the ministry was half-way done with a study on ministry hospital staffing obstacles and needs, which should have been done five years ago.
Among the findings were the lack of qualifications among medical staff that apply and inefficient human resource management. The study also found that hospitals have a severe nursing shortage in their gynaecology departments, and a general medical staff shortage in paediatric, surgical, internal medicine, and emergency and accidents departments.
Dr Shakar said the ministry was working hard to address the staff shortage as soon as possible, but added that their best efforts would take time.
"It's not just the Ministry of Health. If it just involves the ministry, the minister can pass it tomorrow, but in reality, we have to go through many procedures," he said.
The hospital that arguably feels most of the pinch is Al Qasimi Hospital.
Dr Arif Al Nuriani, deputy CEO and consultant cardiologist at Al Qasimi Hospital, told Gulf News that the staff shortage was serious.
"We are in big, big trouble. Somehow we're not feeling any improvements yet because the number of resignations is still higher than recruitments," he said.
He added that the hospital was losing a large number of their senior staff, who leave for a better pay and benefits elsewhere.
Your comments
Salaries and benefits for qualified doctors in Dubai are very low compared to other countries. This is probably why they are leaving.
Sam
Dubai,UAE
Officials should increase the salary of the staff. Only then will these qualified medical staff remain.
Sultan
Dubai,UAE
My brother in law and sister are qualified pharmacists but they could not find jobs in the UAE. And you say there is a shortage of medical staff?
Wadah
Montreal,Canada
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