JEDDAH, 16 August 2003 — Dr. Khaled Al-Rashoud, supervisor of health institutes and colleges at the Health Ministry, has called for effective steps to offset the current shortage in the number of Saudi medical and health staff.
Speaking to Al-Riyadh Arabic daily, he estimated the number of Saudi male and female nurses at 18.6 percent, pharmacists at 17.7 percent and other paramedical staff at 14.4 percent of the total staff. There are 66,948 nurses in the Kingdom, of which 12,186 are Saudis, and 5,303 pharmacists, 930 of them Saudis.
He urged the health institutes which have received a preliminary license to fulfill the remaining conditions to get their final license. Of the 80 private health institutes in the Kingdom, 34 have received a final license.
The Kingdom’s Higher Education Council recently decided to upgrade some health institutes in various parts of the Kingdom to intermediate health science colleges.
The decision, reflecting the government’s desire to train more young Saudi for medical jobs, covers health institutes in Madinah, Najran, Taif, Baha and Hail.
The council also decided to develop a medical support science program at King Abdul Aziz University’s College of Medicine and Medical Science to an independent college named the College of Applied Medical Sciences. The new college will comprise the departments of laboratory technology, nursing, X-ray technology, naturopathy and clinical nutrition.
