Dubai: Dubai Health Authority (DHA) will award more scholarships to Emirati medical students given the increasing numbers applying for academic assistance, said the authority on Thursday.
The DHA is upping capacity of its programme after receiving more than 450 applications last year for the training and occupational growth programme. It also attracted 85 exceptional Emirati high school students with high grades/scores to study medicine and sciences in some of the best universities in the last two years.
The DHA confirmed its plans at a gathering feting summer students and residency doctors who completed the programme.
The DHA’s Health and Science Scholarship programme aims to provide Emirati high school graduates with a scholarship to encourage them to enter the field of medicine, nursing, physiotherapy and other medicine-supporting fields.
The authority is working on adding more specialisations and skilled cadres to its facilities to meet the authority’s growing demand and to meet its Emiratisation objectives, which are among its most important developmental paths in the authority’s 2016/2021 strategy.
In addition to the scholarship and covering of students’ expenses, the programme will provide students with monetary incentives throughout their studying years to encourage them to excel. The authority will also provide the programme’s students with priority when it comes to training and employment at DHA facilities.
As for the programme’s main requirements, candidates wishing to apply for the scholarships must be Emiratis, in good health, have good conduct and if they are male they have to have completed their military service or have proved that it has been postponed or they have been exempted.
Students seeking a scholarship must have high scores — not less than 90 per cent for those wishing to study medicine, 80 per cent for nursing, 80 per cent for physiotherapy, 80 per cent for pharmacy and 85 per cent for those wishing to major in supporting medical fields such as X-ray, labs and anaesthesia.
Students should not apply for the scholarship if two years have lapsed after graduating high school.
Applicants must complete an interview and should not have been accepted to another scholarship from another party.
Once accepted, the authority will cover tuition fees, provide a monthly allowance, and cover book and laptop costs. The authority will also provide the students with health insurance.
