RIYADH, 12 July 2005 — Bangladeshi Ambassador Ikramul Haque said the Kingdom has recruited 500 doctors from Bangladesh for the 2,000 health centers across Saudi Arabia. At least a quarter of the recruits included specialists, he added. The first batch of doctors has already been deployed at various health centers, the ambassador said.
He pointed out that the Kingdom has expressed interest in importing medicines from Bangladesh, which already supplies them to some 62 countries.
He was referring to a letter sent by the Saudi Ministry of Health to their embassy in Dhaka stipulating that if Bangladesh could meet certain registration procedures of Saudi Arabia, it would import pharmaceutical products from Bangladesh. The letter was delivered to the Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Bangladeshi exporters, however, are cautiously optimistic. They point out Saudi registration rules involve a heavy cost component which is beyond the capacity of even some major pharmaceutical concerns. Some 230 pharmaceutical firms are now operating in the country with an annual turnover of over $500 million.
Ambassador Haque said the Saudi-Bangladesh Joint Commission on Economic and Technical Cooperation would be held in Dhaka by the end of this year to finalize the agreement on the avoidance of double taxation.
He said both sides have agreed to hold the first round of negotiations on an agreement on reciprocal encouragement and protection of investments between the two countries. When these agreements are implemented, they would promote trade and investment, besides scientific and technical cooperation in different fields.
The ambassador said the forthcoming talks in Dhaka are a follow-up to those held in Riyadh in June this year. The Joint Commission talks were a major breakthrough in laying down a blueprint for liberalizing trade and investment between the two countries. An offshoot of this agreement was the signing of the memorandum of understanding between Saad Al-Moajel, member of the Board of Directors of the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce & Industry (CSCCI), and Abdul Awal Mintoo, president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FBCCI), for exchange of information and visits between the two countries.
Both countries have decided to hold single-country exhibitions in each other’s country as part of a concerted drive to raise the level of awareness about their products.
Asked about the impact of Saudization on the Bangladeshi manpower, the ambassador said it was minimal.
“As far as Bangladesh is concerned, the level of recruitment from our country has dropped by an estimated 10,000 workers,” he said, adding: “At the same time, they have started sourcing skilled manpower,” suggesting that the manpower balance could even out in the long run.
