Bahrainisation in private medical sector approved
Bahrain - The Shura Council yesterday unanimously approved a legislation for a minimum percentage of Bahrainisation in private hospitals, medical centres and clinics in the country.
Amendments to the 2015 Private Medical Establishments Law have been recommended for approval by the services committee chaired by Dr Jameela Al Salman.
However, Dr Al Salman pointed out that the Supreme Council for Health (SCH) should ensure that sufficient medical professionals are available, with priority given to Bahrainis, except in rare specialisations where qualified citizens are unavailable.
She explained that the 50 per cent mandatory Bahrainisation, proposed by MPs, would be difficult to achieve.
The proposed bill will be now referred to Parliament for a second review and if Shura's version is approved, it will be referred to His Majesty King Hamad for ratification.
'According to statistics presented by the Labour Ministry until June 2024, Bahraini graduates in the general medical specialisation number 516, out of 1,052 job-seekers,' Dr Al Salman pointed out.
'The 50pc sought by MPs disregards specialisations, which could see hospitals employing medics across departments that don't need them, in a bid to avoid penalties or punishments,' she explained.
'This is where the legislation has gone wrong, otherwise prioritising Bahraini medics is the right approach. So we have given the authority to the SCH to determine the percentages and accordingly grant licences for medics to work.'
Shura Council second vice-chairwoman Dr Jihad Al Fadhel said there was no disagreement between both chambers that Bahraini medics should be prioritised in jobs.
'However, when there are no Bahraini medics in a particular field, then not anyone should be employed to achieve the Bahrainisation percentage.'
Labour Ministry assistant under-secretary for labour affairs Ahmed Al Hayki said licences for expats are only granted following consultations with the National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA).
Health Minister Dr Jalila Al Sayyed said earlier Bahraini medics are preferred over expatriates, even if latter have more years of experience.
'Qualified citizens are given preference for every vacancy,' she added.
'Tamkeen (Labour Fund) initiatives have also helped Bahrainis by putting them in a stronger position for recruitment.
'We have a list of approved specialisations for which no Bahrainis are currently available, such as nuclear medicine, minimally invasive gynaecological surgery/robotic surgery, paediatric sport medicine, breast aesthetics and reconstructive surgery and forensic pathology.
'The NHRA has recently added several specialisations such as bariatric procedures fellowship, epilepsy and EEG, marriage and family psychotherapy and musculoskeletal imaging/intervention.'
Present at the weekly session were senior health officials who pledged that Bahrainis will be always prioritised for recruitment in the medical sector.
Tamkeen said that forcing Bahrainisation would affect investment and even rob Bahrainis of future jobs in the medical field.
The Bahrain Chamber also said that the proposed move was 'noble in concept' but the 50pc quota would be impractical.
The Private Medical Establishments Association said the Bahrainisation move should be voluntary and not compulsory.
Copyright 2022 Al Hilal Publishing and Marketing Group Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).
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