JEDDAH: Saudi doctors have reportedly started abandoning government hospitals which offer low salaries and benefits and do not have adequate medical facilities.
Dr. Atef Suroor, director of health in Qassim province, said he had noticed a growing discontent among Saudi doctors. He hoped that the Shoura Council and the Council of Ministers would address the issue as quickly as possible.
The Institute of Public Administration has conducted a study on the issue and found that an increasing number of Saudi medical staff at government hospitals in various sectors were leaving, mainly because of low salaries. The Saudis are particularly upset when they see foreign doctors who work beside them receiving higher salaries than them, Al-Yaum Arabic daily said in a survey.
Dr. Ibrahim Al-Mulhim, assistant director of health in the Eastern Province, said the Ministry of Health had already presented a proposal to higher authorities to increase the salaries of Saudi doctors.
Some Saudi doctors, especially consultants, have left government hospitals in search of better jobs in the Kingdom and abroad. “Saudi doctors are a national wealth and deserve special care from the government,” one official said.
The dearth of specialized doctors at government hospitals is affecting services. Patients have to wait for months to get appointments with specialists. Analysts warn that any delay in resolving issues will have negative effects on the services of public health institutions.
While praising the government’s efforts to improve the welfare of citizens, Suroor hoped the government would take a quick decision to increase the salaries of Saudi doctors and paramedical staff.
“The percentage of Saudi doctors is very small compared to foreign doctors. We have to increase the percentage by accepting more students at medical colleges. We should also look into why many students drop out without completing their medical studies,” Suroor said.
Dr. Qassim Al-Alwan, an X-ray consultant at King Fahd Hospital in Al-Ahsa, said that the ministry had increased the salaries of foreign doctors by 96 percent.
“But they did not increase salaries by even a single riyal for Saudis, although the responsibility of Saudis is much greater than that of foreign doctors,” he added. “The difference in salaries, compared to foreign doctors, has caused a kind of depression among Saudi doctors. It has affected their performance in government hospitals. There is a shortage of doctors because many of them have left due to low salaries.”
Al-Alwan said Saudi doctors were seeking fair treatment. “We don’t want any special consideration over foreign doctors; we just want fair treatment,” he said. “If things continue like this, the result will not be good at all. This demands quick action from the authorities so that Saudis can get their legitimate rights.”
Dr. Adel Al-Dossary stressed the need for unifying the salaries of doctors in all public hospitals including those under the Defense and Interior Ministries. “There are many consultants who do not own a house. Doctors should be given enough incentives to keep them,” he said. Saudi doctors are capable and efficient and have been doing their jobs excellently, Al-Dossary said. Some of them have taken degrees from US, Canadian and European universities and had jobs in those countries. He estimated the number of Saudi doctors at fewer than 1,000.
Dr. Abdullah Al-Joudi, a consultant at the Ministry of Health, said there were many reasons for Saudis leaving government hospitals. First, low salary; second, a lack of proper facilities for doing their jobs and third, a lack of opportunities to conduct research and attend conferences.
Dr. Abdullah Al-Suwaidi, a cardiology consultant at Armed Forces Hospital, said Saudi doctors needed financial support in order to conduct research and attend conferences.
“The government is doing its best, but we need more support in order to help us extend the best service to society.”
