JEDDAH, 19 January 2006 — According to a scientific study conducted in Saudi Arabia, there are more than 2,000 job opportunities available for Saudi pharmacists with the number expected to rise soon to 5,000.
Because the percentage of Saudi pharmacists is presently only 1 percent, there is a serious lack of Saudis in this field, found the study published by Al-Madinah newspaper.
Dr. Abdul Kareem Telmasani, dean of medical science at Ibn Sina College, said that the pharmaceutical profession will need more than 50,000 Saudis in the next 14 years. He attributed the current shortage of Saudi pharmacists to the small number of colleges that offer this specialty.
He said that it was very important to open more colleges to teach pharmacy in both the private and public sector. Perhaps Saudis did not want to specialize in pharmacy because they have failed to realize the profession’s importance, he said. Supporting Dr. Telmasani’s view, a Saudi pharmacist said that there should be a study done on why Saudis are reluctant to become pharmacists.
Ahmad Mohammad, a Saudi pharmacist, said that most Saudis shy away from the profession because it requires six years of study and also because much of the teaching is in English. In order to be admitted to pharmacy colleges, students must have an academic average of 94 percent. “To attract more Saudis, the admission percentage should be reduced. New colleges all over the Kingdom should be opened and concentrate on graduating more Saudis in this important sector,” he said.
Hussein Mahdi, a pharmacy graduate, said, “There is a lot of pressure on pharmacy students once they are appointed as assistant pharmacists,” he said, adding that low salary is one of the factors that keep Saudis out of the profession.
