Saudising medical jobs gets boost

Cairo: Saudi Arabia has unveiled a new plan to increase the numbers of Saudis working in four health professions in the private sector as part of government efforts to provide jobs for citizens.

The Saudi Ministry of Human Resources said that in partnership with the Ministry of Health, decisions have been taken to raise the rates of professional localisation in radiology to reach 64% of the overall workforce at the private sector institutions, to 70% in the medical lab field, 80% in therapeutic nutrition; and 80% in physiotherapy.

The latest decisions will be implemented in two phases next year, according to the Ministry of Health. The first will begin on April 17 covering all medical institutions in main Saudi cities, namely Riyadh, Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Dammam and Khubar and major institutions in other regions of the kingdom.

The second phase will start in 12 months’ time, specifically on October 17, applying to all institutions across the kingdom.

Building on previous localisation moves in the healthcare sector, the latest decisions aim to enable Saudi professionals to get attractive job opportunities.
For its part, the Ministry of Health will supervise the implementation follow-up consistent with the labour market needs and health specialisations.

In recent years, Saudi Arabia has launched a series of initiatives to employ its nationals and replace foreign workers in several fields including education, telecommunications and real estate as part of a labour policy known as “Saudisation”.

In September last year, Saudi authorities unveiled a plan to localise the dental profession, initially setting it at 35 per cent as of March.Compliant private sector institutions stand to benefit from incentives and support programmes offered by the Ministry of Human Resources to help them employ Saudis.

These incentives include support to the process of looking for qualified employees, training and employment continuity as well as having access to Saudi employment support progr