DUBAI: More Emiratis needed to be encouraged to work in the UAE’s health care and medical professions, a leading health education specialist has said.
Speaking to Arab News at an international conference on medical education, Professor Mohammed Al-Houqani, assistant dean for education and academic affairs at United Arab Emirates University, said that only 5 percent of Emiratis now worked in health care.
“We see more local girls opting for medical education. Boys still prefers business studies or other professions where one can finish education faster and start earning in good numbers,” he said.
The four-day International Conference on Medical Education (ICME) concluded at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Center. During the summit, more than 1,000 medical education experts from 56 countries discussed applying international training standards in the UAE.
Professor Al-Houqani said the six medical schools in the country were sufficient to fulfil current requirements.
Hassan Mohammed Khan, chancellor of Riphah International University and founder of ICME, said the quality of medical education is directly related to health care and patient safety in any country.
“Medical education is evolving every day, and the only way to keep oneself up to date is through academic and professional interaction. In medicine, excellence is a journey and not an end. It is a lifelong pursuit,” he said.
Medical education is expensive across the world, Khan said.
“America and the UK are one of the most expensive places to get a degree in education. It is costly because lots of investment goes into research and equipment.”
Referring to the numbers of UAE medical students, Khan said local students made up 10 percent of the intake at his own medical college in Ras Al-Khaimah.
“The numbers of local students are increasing. However, considering the demographic dynamics, the present numbers are not bad,” said Khan, who is head of the RAK College of Dental Sciences in the UAE.
“We need good professionals, no matter which nationality they belong to,” he said.
Khan, who also runs academic institutions in Pakistan, said the two countries had a great opportunity to collaborate on medical education.
“Unfortunately, on an individual level, so many Pakistani doctors and medical managers are working in UAE. But at an institution level, there is no formal cooperation.”
The conference, a joint collaboration of Ottawa Conference and International Conference on Medical Education, was endorsed by the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention, and supported by the UAE University, Gulf Medical University, RAK Medical and Health Sciences University, The University of Sharjah and CLIQ (Center of Excellence in Leadership and Quality) at RAKCODS, the Abu Dhabi Convention Bureau, Emirates Medical Association and the Emirates Nursing Association.