New updates to PQR for health care professionals

ABU DHABI - The Health Authority - Abu Dhabi (HAAD), the regulatory body of the healthcare sector in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, announced today updates to the Personal Qualification Requirement (PQR) for health care professionals who wish to become licensed to practice in the Emirate.

By (WAM)

Published: Wed 29 Jun 2011, 7:49 PM

Last updated: Mon 22 May 2023, 1:02 PM

Demonstrating HAAD’s commitment to developing quality workforce, the PQR requirements and efficiency standards are reviewed and updated every two years. This allows the Authority to better align with the needs and requirements of the various medical specialties.

The updated PQR will reduce the length of experience required for the first level (Tr1) from three years to two years; this will in turn allow qualified citizens to become specialised doctors as soon as they meet the qualifications of the second level (Tr2).

PQR also included updates for the category of professional health assistants to exempt all graduates of health technology programs from universities, colleges and the holders of bachelor’s or equivalent to bachelor degree of expertise required, which had duration of two years and then get accepted after fulfilling all the conditions and one year of internship.

Commenting on these updates, Dr. Ali Obaid Al Ali, Director Health Regulation at HAAD, said: “We have updated requirements and efficiency standards for medical staff based on three pillars: patient safety, emiratization and commitment to international standards, The latest updates are the result of a survey conducted by the Authority which included feedback from all medical specialties, health facilities, universities and embassies.

Dr. Ali added “It is our hope that these updates will assist in filling capacity gaps that lie in the health care sector.”

Miss Shaikha Mohammed Al Daheiry, Section Head Credentialing and Licensing, also said, “The changes in the new PQR were to encourage local citizens to join in the sectors of health and to continue in the medical field.”

She added also that “the changes in the PQR also include adjustments to the Deputy Director of Nursing (ADON) requirements which now states that nurses wishing to become licensed by HAAD must hold a master’s degree and a current first aid certificate before application will be accepted.”

The Authority also identified to obtain a master’s degree for all directors, senior managers, and supervisors for the category of professional health assistants and Standardize years of experience required for each category, for example, 10-year experience for Directors, 8 years experience for senior supervisors, 6 years experience for supervisors, and 4 years experience for (seniors). In case that the applicants has their master degrees; experience will be less one year than the required as a result. Also the authority requires for dieticians a bachelor’s degree as a minimum and accepting the Eyesight experience testimony in line with the work environment need.

As a result of increased demand by health facilities HAAD introduced new disciplines to the PQR these include Technical Anesthesia, Biomedical Engineering, Technical Bandages Plaster, Midwife, Clinical Glasses Specialist, Emergency Medical Technician, Medical Advisory Genes, Health Education, Administrators of Health Information, Senior Prefusionist, Prefusionist and Toxicology.

There are also some other specializations that have been made obsolete due to advances in technology or further breakdowns in categorisation, these include optic technicians and dark room technicians.

Statistics in 2010 show the number of health professionals in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi reached 19,310, including 4757 doctors, 879 dentists, 8221 nurses and 5246 aides professional.

Female local citizens working in the health sector account for 21%, where 6% are working as professional assistants, 1% nurses, 7% dentists, 7% doctors. Male local citizens in comparison are 7%, where 4% of them doctors, 2% dentists and 1% professional aides.65% of professionals working in the health sector in the city of Abu Dhabi, 29% are working in the city of Al Ain and 6% in the western region.