Kuwaitis' 'reluctance' To Pursue Nursing Careers Deepens Due To A Lack Of Incentives

There are almost 95% of nurses in the country who are expatriates, yet it is an important and vital profession that people are reluctant to pursue for a number of reasons, including low salaries and temptations to emigrate, as well as the lack of recognition they face, as reflected in the repeated incidences of parents assaulting nursing staff, Al-Qabas daily reported.

Expats working in this field quickly move from the government sector to the private sector or migrate abroad in search of better financial opportunities, threatening the existence of this important job. In late February 2020, the nursing sector played a crucial role during the Corona pandemic crisis as its affiliates made significant sacrifices to control the outbreak.

In hospitals, health centers, and facilities, as well as quarantine centers that were established during the pandemic, or at airports and other places, they made huge sacrifices in order to combat the epidemic, and several of them died from infection and its complications while they were always present in front rows. The Ministry of Health reports that there are 21,490 male and female nurses in the country, including 1,077 Kuwaitis, while 20,413 non-Kuwaitis resigned due to better offers from both inside and outside Kuwait.

Hence, the Ministry should pay attention to this situation and work to increase their numbers. According to Kuwaiti Nursing Association head Bandar Al-Enezi, nursing is one of the most demanding professions, since Kuwaitis work five days and expatriates work six days and take one day off, illustrating the reasons why Kuwaiti nurses migrate abroad because of better opportunities than those offered locally. In his speech, Al-Enezi told Al-Qabas that immigration was not limited to foreign countries, but also through moving from the government to the private sector in response to better job offers, illustrating a noticeable shortage of nursing staff in some hospitals in the recent period, which needed radical solutions for addressing their migration and offering them a suitable place to work.

There is a noticeable reluctance from citizens to engage in nursing, as highlighted by Al-Enezi, who noted that over 95% of nurses are expatriates, highlighting the need to review the approval and provision of allowances for infection, danger, pollution, and screen to nursing staff. He stated that the next stage will witness meetings of the association with ministry officials regarding the discussion of providing means of protection for nursing staff, with the possibility of approving more allowances, to encourage young people to turn to the profession, in addition to addressing the Civil Service Commission to ensure the existence of degrees for holders of Master’s and Doctoral degrees, and to work to facilitate postgraduate studies for workers in the field, pointing out that Kuwait needs to recruit qualified nurses, especially in light of the expansion of a number of hospitals and developmental health facilities, such as Jaber, Jahra, Farwaniya and Adan hospitals, where these facilities require a large number of nursing staff.

Additionally, Al-Enezi stated that the association is working with the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET) and the Ministry of Health to meet the country's needs for nursing competencies, by forming a committee between the three parties, in order to solve the problem of the low demand for nursing programs at the diploma and bachelor levels, with the purpose of simplifying the application procedures.

Comments Post Comment

Leave a Comment

Submit