RIYADH, 7 October 2004 — A nurses recruitment fair, described as the first in Riyadh, highlights the growing shortage of nurses in the Kingdom, where expansion of medical facilities, poaching of nurses by hospitals from within the Kingdom and abroad, as well as security concerns have combined to trigger a shortage of nurses. The situation has been compounded by an acute shortage of Saudi nurses.
The recruitment fair today is being organized by Riyadh Care Hospital, whose spokesman said a large number of vacancies in their hospital was the main reason for organizing such a fair. Another hospital in the Olaya district reported at least 35 vacancies for nurses.
The shortage, it is pointed out, could have repercussions unless remedial measures are taken to improve their working conditions and put an end to the malpractice, also one of the areas of concern.
Several factors are attributed to the shortage of nurses. Attractive offers for nurses in the US and New Zealand and Ireland are also being cited for the reason for the exodus. As against the average salary of SR3,000 for a Filipino nurse, the starting pay in the US is at least $3,000 a month.
A spokesman of a private hospital told Arab News that another problem is the shortage of qualified nurses.
Besides the lucrative overseas offers, an additional problem that has compounded the situation is the malpractice that some recruitment agencies engage in through contract substitution and amending the terms and conditions.
The Indian Embassy has already drawn the attention of the Ministry of Health in a communication which lists the complaints against the agencies under five broad categories. They include contract substitution; delayed payment of salaries, overtime and other allowances; denial of vacation/final exit as per the terms of the contract; lack of prescribed accommodation or living facilities; prolonged retention of nurses without salaries, vacations, or arrangement for exit visas; denial, in some cases, of basic amenities, including permission to visit markets for essential shopping.
According to Dr. Fahd Abdul Jabbar, executive director of King Abdul Aziz Medical City, the Kingdom’s hospitals need about 100,000 female nurses and male medical personnel, while there are only 1,000 Saudi nurses at present. The number of expatriate nurses stands at 53,000. Thus, there is immense scope for the Saudization of the nursing profession.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, an expatriate nurse told Arab News that one of the reasons for the existence of vacancies in MOH establishments is the low pay of paramedical staff.
