Severe Shortage Of National Medical Personnel In Kuwait

Director of the Psychiatry Depatment at the College of Medicine in Kuwait University Dr. Sulaiman Al-Khudhari sounded the alarm about the shortage of local medical personnel that was evident during the Corona crisis; clarifying this is a global phenomenon, but it is more severe in the Gulf region. He said Kuwait ranks fourth in the Gulf in terms of the number of doctors compared to the population, with 22 doctors for every 10,000 people. He pointed out there are 17,000 doctors in Kuwait and only 4,000 of them are Kuwaitis, adding that the Health Ministry’s annual need for medical manpower with various medical specializations is estimated at about 1,000 graduates.

In a panel discussion organized by the Women’s Cultural and Social Society recently with the theme, ‘The scholarship plan for medical specializations is compatible with the quality of education and meeting the needs of the labor market’, Al-Khudhari revealed the Kuwait 2035 vision aims to increase the capacity of hospitals by not less than 7,000 beds, which means doubling number of doctors and other medical personnel. He talked about the scholarship problems and the difference in conditions between universities; pointing out that the Ministry of Higher Education made a mistake in making the circular on the suspension of scholarships in all universities in Egypt and Jordan, which came in the wake of the forged certificates crisis. He pointed out the suspension decision was taken after the Ministry of Health sent a letter, stating that the quality of graduates from these universities is not good.

He added: “This letter was based on the opinion of consultants, not a study. Why do we focus on a specific group of countries in terms of scholarships?! He presented a number of solutions to the shortage of medical personnel in the country; such as increasing the number of seats in the College of Medicine, organizing scholarships to Egypt and Jordan, opening the door for scholarships in other Arab and foreign countries, opening other medical colleges in Kuwait, negotiating to improve scholarship conditions and increasing seats in the universities included in the scholarship plan, a national unified examination for licensing, and ensuring a minimum level of medical knowledge.

On the other hand, former Dean of the College of Allied Medicine and member of the Kuwaiti Society for Quality Education Dr. Saud Al-Obaidi spoke about the college’s failure in the special nursing education program that was added in 2022 and transferred to the Public Authority for Applied Education. He noted that there are more than 24,000 nurses in Kuwait; but the number of nationals among them is very small — not exceeding four percent as their number is about 1,000.

Al-Obaidi also proposed a package of solutions, the most important of which is establishing a university hospital for the College of Medicine in Kuwait. He said Kuwait is the only Gulf country that has no university hospital. He suggested increasing the spatial capacity of the college in order to enhance its ability to increase the number of students, professors and course. In this manner, the college will be able to implement its strategic vision, which includes establishing several bachelor’s programs that serve the allied medicine sector, such as respiratory system, foot care, speech, hearing and clinical exercise physiology. Investors must be encouraged to establish colleges in the private sector that contribute to teaching specializations in allied medical sciences to meet the State’s need for national medical professionals, he concluded.

By Inaas Awadh

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff

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