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.
Make medicine your life, expert urges young Emiratis
Make medicine your life, expert urges young Emiratis
Pakistan military says 13 militants killed in counterterror operations across northwest
- Military says counterterror operations launched in Bajaur, Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber and South Waziristan districts
- The counterterror operations take place as Afghanistan and Pakistan remain locked in conflict since late last month
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces this week killed 13 militants in five separate counterterror operations in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, the military’s media wing said on Sunday, vowing to eliminate militancy from the country.
The counterterror operations were conducted on Mar. 6-7, with Pakistani troops killing five militants in the northwestern Bajaur district in the first operation. In two other encounters in Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan district, security forces killed three militants belonging to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.
Meanwhile, five other militants were killed in two separate counterterror operations in Khyber and South Waziristan districts in which five more militants were slain.
“Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from Indian-sponsored killed khwarij, who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area,” ISPR said in a statement.
Pakistan’s military frequently uses the term “Fitna al Khwarij” to describe TTP militants. The militant outfit has carried out some of the deadliest attacks against Pakistani civilians and security forces since 2007 in a bid to impose their strict brand of Islamic law across the country.
Islamabad accuses Afghanistan of sheltering the TTP and facilitating their attacks against Pakistan, a charge Kabul has denied. Pakistan also accuses India of supporting these militant groups, which New Delhi has repeatedly rejected.
The counterterror operations take place as Pakistan remains locked in conflict with Afghanistan since late February.
The worst fighting between the two sides began late last month when Afghan forces launched a surprise attack on Pakistani military installations along their shared border. Afghanistan said the assault was in retaliation for Pakistan’s earlier airstrikes in February on what Islamabad described as militant camps inside Afghanistan.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Saturday that Islamabad has killed 527 Afghan Taliban fighters and injured more than 755 since clashes began.
Afghanistan has also claimed attacking multiple Pakistani military bases and killing several Pakistani soldiers. Arab News has not independently verified the claims by both sides.
Pakistan has ruled out talks with Afghanistan and said it will continue its military operations in the country till it withdraws support for militant groups that Islamabad says operate from Afghanistan.
