The nursing profession offers a tremendous opportunity to find more jobs for Saudis, a senior health offical has pointed out.

Public Media | September 2003

The nursing profession offers a tremendous opportunity to find more jobs for Saudis, a senior health offical has pointed out.

There are 53,000 nurses in the kingdom's hospitals, of whom only 18 per cent are Saudis, the Arab News reported, quoting Dr Sabah Hussein Abu Zinada, assistant director of the nursing department at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center.

She estimates the number of Saudi nurses at 12,000.

However, the vast majority of Saudi nurses are not fully qualified. She called for more nursing colleges set up with the aim of Saudizing nursing jobs at private hospitals within the next four to five years.

There are presently 24 institutes and 13 colleges to train nurses in the kingdom, in addition to nursing departments at universities in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam.

However, Dr Sabah said the graduates of these institutions were not properly trained and can work only as nursing assistants or technicians.

She also called for the nursing syllabus to be upgraded.