Saudi Arabia, like other countries in the world, is currently going through a shortage of medical professionals; the migration of nurses and other practitioners outside the country most likely causes this shortage. The Saudi Arabia Investment Authority released a report stating that the country has a deficit of over 30,000 nurses and doctors combined, causing a 30% decrease in the number of medical practitioners available nationwide hence, the Saudi government is looking for ways to curb this problem.
Although the Saudi government has not released any statement requesting for foreign doctors to migrate to the country, several arab news outlets have written about how the migration of doctors into the country might be the only way to stop this.
Before a person would be licensed to work as a medical consultant in Saudi Arabia, they would have to show that they are certified as a doctor; this would include providing evidence of the following certifications:
- Certificate of completion of training (CCT) in an area of specialty with a minimum of 2 years post experience. An equivalent of certifications accepted from other countries is a Canadian/American board certification.
- UK CCST/CCT
- Italy (Diploma de Medical Specialista).
- South Africa (Fellowship of the college of medicine)
- France DES
- Any certification obtained from a medical school listed in the International Medical Education Directory of the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research would be accepted.
- A degree in medicine or a related course of study
- Pre – specialist training certification of at least one year
- Specialist training certification in a structured program
An understanding of Arabic is also required, although English is widely spoken in most hospitals. Female doctors are preferred for some specialisms, especially in obstetrics and gynaecology roles, as well as in fertility medicine.
Visa applications vary based on the country you’re applying from, but having a job offer beforehand makes the process easier. If you already have a job offer from a Saudi Arabian hospital, log in to the dataflowgroup.com website to verify your credentials; this would help speed up your visa application process.
No job offer, but would you still like to work in Saudi Arabia? Sites like naukrigulf.com are a great way to job-hunt. Once you have gotten a job offer, the rest is easy, as employers play a large.