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Compulsory specialised training for UAE doctors

ABU DHABI — The federal health authorities will make it mandatory for doctors, who are UAE nationals, to undergo a four-year specialised training programme to ensure their efficiency, according to a senior health official.

For non-national doctors, a similar policy will be formulated with regard to certain specialisations.

"It will be compulsory for UAE national doctors to undergo a four-year specialised training programme to enhance their capabilities," Dr Abdul Ghaffar Abdul Ghaffor, Assistant Under-Secretary for Central Curative Medicine Department at the Ministry of Health (MoH) told Khaleej Times yesterday.

This is the first time that the federal health authorities are coming up with a compulsory specialised training plan for doctors that aims at getting quality performance.

A total of 220 UAE national doctors employed by various health institutions affiliated to the ministry will be able to avail of the programme. The official further disclosed that the training course will be designed to meet the country's need for medical specialisations. Doctors will also receive training from local as well as foreign medical experts. "This programme called 'Residency Programme' is scheduled to begin next year. The ministry will initially focus on surgery and obstetrics and gynaecology because they are in great demand in the country as compared to other medical specialisations," said Dr Ghaffor, adding that a special committee had been set up to ensure the programme's implementation.

Regarding non-national doctors, the official said a similar policy will be implemented for certain specialisations. On whether a similar programme will be made mandatory for expatriate doctors, Dr Ghaffor said non-nationals must undergo a one-week training course on Advanced Life Support (ALS), noting that UAE national doctors in the same specialisations should also undergo similar training programme.

"The focus is to train emergency doctors, general practitioners and paediatricians, both nationals and expatriates, at primary health care centres on ALS. The ministry will make sure these cadres will be trained at their medical districts so as to guarantee efficiency of the programme," said Dr Ghaffor.

He further said that under a new policy, the ministry will reassess qualifications of doctors and provide them with new titles in accordance with internationals standards.

He said the ministry will reevaluate the academic certificates of doctors and their work experience so as to furnish them with new designations as per international criteria. "The move aims at upgrading denominations given to doctors and introducing new titles like 'resident doctor'," said the official.

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