Expat doctors in Saudi Arabia will no longer be allowed to renew work permits after 10 years in the country, under plans unveiled by the newly appointed health minister, Tawfiq Al Rabiah.
The former commerce minister was handed the role last week as part of a sweeping cabinet reshuffle.
This week he announced an 11-point plan to overhaul the health sector in Saudi Arabia and streamline the health ministry.
As part of the strategy, expat doctors and specialists who have spent 10 years in the kingdom will be barred from renewing their work and residency permits, Arab News said, citing a report in Al Arabiya.
Meanwhile, expat consultants will be barred from renewing their visas after spending 15 years in the kingdom.
Other expat doctors, even if they have spent fewer than 15 years in Saudi Arabia, will be barred from holding administrative positions, the report said.
The minister aims to make all government hospital management procedures electronic, while doctors and specialists will be forbidden from holding administrative and other non-medical positions.
A source told Al Arabiya last year that a large number of qualified Saudi medical professionals are occupying administrative positions when they could work as doctors and nurses.
The source reportedly also highlighted a shortage of Saudi national doctors. There are a total of 317,000 expat health practitioners and doctors and only 139,000 Saudi counterparts, the source said.
Arab News said Al Rabiah faces numerous challenges in his first months as health minister, including streamlining medical insurance plans, upgrading facilities, boosting primary healthcare, tackling infectious diseases and curbing high staff turnover and an exodus of skilled healthcare staff to the private sector.
Users on Twitter and other social media sites have been using the hashtag # “What We Need from the Health Minister Al-Rabiah” to raise their concerns and grievances.
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