Abu Dhabi: The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Novartis, a global health-care company based in Switzerland, to develop a 12-month extensive training programme for Emirati graduates holding pharmacy degrees.
The training programme will promote the presence of Emirati cadres in the private sector by attracting talents, improving the skills of fresh graduates and equipping them with necessary skills and experience to build a successful career in the private pharmaceutical sector.
Under the agreement, trainees will receive a monthly stipend from the company, and upon course completion, they will have the option to apply for full-time positions or join international pharmaceutical companies operating in the country.
Dr Amin Hussein Al Amiri, Assistant Under-Secretary for the Health Regulation Sector at MoHAP, and Mohamed Ezz Eldin, president and head of Gulf Cluster at Novartis Pharmaceuticals, signed the MoU at the MoHAP headquarters in Dubai, in the presence of Dr Mohammad Salim Al Olama, Under-Secretary of MoHAP.
Increasing competitiveness
Highlighting the importance of the MoU, Dr Al Olama said that the partnership with Novartis comes in line with the ministry’s efforts aimed at supporting ‘Nafis’, the federal programme that seeks to increase the competitiveness of the Emirati workforce and facilitate the private sector employment of UAE citizens launched as part of the second package of the Projects of the 50.
“We are committed to developing and qualifying national cadres in the medical and pharmaceutical fields by encouraging major medical companies to attract and invest in national talents of pharmacy graduates and provide opportunities for them to explore job opportunities and gain qualitative expertise and skills,” Al Olama stated.
Increasing presence of Emirati competencies
For his part, Al Amiri underscored the ministry’s commitment to developing a long-term strategy to train and qualify Emirati cadres, particularly pharmacy graduates, as well as developing training initiatives and programmes in cooperation with international medical and pharmaceutical companies to increase the presence of Emirati competencies in the private sector.
He stated that training programmes will effectively empower fresh graduates and allow them to enter the labour market in the private sector, especially in competitive fields requiring exceptional competence.
