More nationals should be recruited as nurses to overcome staff shortages, a senior Emirati health official was quoted by the Gulf News daily as saying Saturday.
Director of the Sharjah Medical District, Sheikh Mohammed bin Saqr Al Qasimi, told the paper that low pay was the principle reason behind the departure of expatriate nurses.
"Many left the UAE after receiving better offers from European and American recruiters."
"The percentage of UAE national nurses in our hospitals is very low," the official said.
"Hence, all local hospitals should move towards emiratization in the field of nursing, and should encourage nationals, both male and female, to join the profession," he added.
The nursing department in the UAE was established in 1992 to provide up-to-date skills and learning techniques to citizens wishing to join the nursing profession, according to the health ministry's website -- Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
