91% of Qatari nurses are expatriate

According to the World Health Organisation, Eastern Mediterranean Region Observatory (WHO EMRO), there is only 7.38 nurses per 1000 population in Qatar.

"The region's healthcare sector is growing rapidly but this growth could be affected by the lack of trained nurses from national populations,"

said Kevin O'Malley, President of the, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland - Medical University of Bahrain (RCSI Bahrain).

"Governments are successfully implementing strategies to invest in and develop their national medical infrastructure to serve the region's growing population, as well as a means of attracting foreign investment. However, the success of these strategies in delivering qualified nationals to practice medicine will be challenged as long as the region faces a shortage of nursing skills. The importance of nursing for the healthcare sector is often over-looked but without a constant supply of qualified nursing personnel to support patient care and the work of healthcare teams, the potential growth rate of the sector will be held back," Kevin added.

Batool Al-Mohandis, Head of School for Nursing & Midwifery, RCSI Bahrain added, "From our own experience, we have seen rapid growth in the numbers of students attending our teaching institutions in the region, but, growth rates in student admissions from national populations for nursing have not been matched by those for surgery, radiology, dentistry, pharmacy and physiotherapy."

"Based on the latest available research, Qatar has an average of 73.8 nurses per 10,000 of population, with 91% of the total nursing population made up of expatriates. In comparison, countries such as Norway and Finland have 100 nurses per 10,000 of population. To ensure the sector can meet the needs of Qatar and the GCC as a whole, both from an economic and a patient care perspective, more nationals need to study nursing as a career," Al-Mohandis added.

RCSI's views come as the region's healthcare industry continues to expand at a rapid pace, driven by the investments being made by governments to create private markets of healthcare provision as they move from being providers of healthcare to regulators. The growth of the market place is being driven by population growth, with regional states having witnessed tenfold increases in populations since the 1970s.

The GCC's population is currently around 40 million and this is estimated to double by 2025. Additional factors such as the growth of healthcare tourism in the region and healthcare being used a means of attracting foreign investment are also contributing to the growth of the regional market.

RCSI has operated within the Middle East for more than 25 years and currently provides medical expertise on a contractual basis to health ministries in the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. RCSI has been offering courses in Healthcare Management, Basic Surgical Training and running surgical postgraduate examinations in Bahrain at the Medical University of Bahrain since 2004.

In response to the shortage of nursing skills in the region, RCSI Bahrain established a school of Nursing & Midwifery in 2006, while in Jordan the College has been running courses and examinations in Dentistry and Surgery for over ten years.