JEDDAH: The new pay scale for Saudi doctors and pharmacists, which was approved by the Cabinet last week, offers a salary hike of up to 41 percent, Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah said yesterday. He said the new scale would come into effect a month after its publication in the official gazette.
The Cabinet decision standardizes the salaries of employees in government hospitals and identifies the benefits and incentives offered to specialists and those in rare specializations, he said. It also places pharmacists into three categories: pharmacist, senior pharmacist and consultant pharmacist.
“This categorization allows those with masters’ and doctoral degrees to get higher grades and better salaries,” the minister said. A consultant pharmacist will receive a pay hike of 41 percent, a senior pharmacist 25 percent and a pharmacist 10 percent.
Al-Rabeeah said a consultant would receive a salary hike of 30 percent, a deputy doctor 16 percent, a resident doctor 15 percent, a consultant specialist 41 percent, a senior specialist 25 percent, a specialist 10 percent, a technician 10 percent and a health assistant 10 percent.
Under the new system, all doctors working for government hospitals would receive housing or an annual housing allowance of no more than SR50,000. Doctors with rare specializations will receive an allowance of 30 percent while training supervisors will receive a monthly allowance of SR2,000. Medical directors and heads of departments will receive a monthly allowance of SR3,000 in general hospitals and central laboratories, and SR5,000 in specialist and referral hospitals.
“Additional grades will be given to some health specializations,” the minister said, adding that it would be decided by a joint panel of experts. Those who work additional hours will receive overtime. Saudi doctors under training are entitled to salaries and benefits given to resident doctors. “Those who receive salaries and benefits higher than what is mentioned in the new scale will be allowed to continue without any annual increment until the end of their service or accept the new scale.”
