RAK faces severe shortage of nurses

The hospitals and medical centres here are waiting urgently for 45 female graduates who will be recruited directly from Ras Al Khaimah Nursing College. The nurses will be hired as soon as they graduate under instructions from the Ministry of Health.

But the trainees will fill only a fraction of the shortfall being felt in the emirate, according to Dr Yasser Issa Al Nuaimi, head of the medical zone.

Ras Al Khaimah has suffered along with the rest of the UAE from frequent resignations by nurses. Recent statistics showed that the different UAE medical zones are in urgent need of more nursing staff.

The spate of resignations had badly affected the Ras Al Khaimah Medical Zone. "No less than 46 have submitted their resignation letters in Ras Al Khaimah since the beginning of this year," Dr Al Nuaimi said.

He added that nurses would often work for a year or a little more and then submit a resignation letter. He said all hospitals and medical centres have been hit by the problem.

"The resignations are flooding in because nurses usually get better offers from the UK, the USA, and Canada. The medical centres in these countries offer the nurses betters jobs, salaries, and allowances," Dr Al Nuaimi said.

Among the latest tranche of graduates are 35 UAE national women, the highest percentage in all the nursing colleges in the country.

Medical institutions in Ras Al Khaimah say they are ready to absorb these graduates straight away.

Al Nuaimi said the Ras Al Khaimah Medical Zone has taken urgent measures whenever any member of staff has resigned. And he stressed that it was important to act quickly so that the shortage does not impact on the quality of healthcare.

Despite the resignations existing staff had been covering all the needs of the hospitals and medical centres, he said.

The Ministry of Health has been trying to appoint replacements. The new trainees cannot be employed until they pass all examinations, graduate from the college and get their necessary licences, he added.