Health worker shortage hits N. Border Province

(MENAFN- Arab News) RAFHAA: There is a severe shortage of doctors and other health workers in this part of the Northern Border Province a local doctor said recently.
This includes specialists in neurology emergency care and intensive care said Ayaad Al-Meili director of the health department and supervisor of the Central General Hospital.
Al-Meili was quoted as saying that the health department in the region has sent out more than five committees to recruit health workers. They have been able to hire some consultants from Pakistan and India but few others.
He said doctors are being offered higher salaries by other Gulf countries. In addition doctors refuse to work in remote areas because there is no entertainment and international schools for their children.
Al-Meili urged the health and finance ministries to offer higher salaries and to work with the Northern Border University to set up international schools. He said there are around 300 vacancies for non-specialist doctors.
There is also a lack of specialists in pharmacology laboratory work physiotherapy infectious diseases endocrinology and sterilization. Al-Meili said this situation was affecting patient care in the region.
He said that Rafhaa was now reducing vacation times for its workers and had cut certain services for patients. But this was causing fatigue and stress for workers and resulted in many resignations.
Al-Meili said that inpatient nursing has two nurses for 20 patients which was preventing quality care. The ideal situation is for the ministry to ensure that there is one nurse for each intensive care patient and one for every five patients in other departments.
He said that the maternity and women's hospital has been under construction for the past seven years and had faced several delays.