Encouraging UAE nationals in the healthcare sector will develop a long-term sustainable health system and trust among people, said experts at The Economist Conference on ‘Healthcare in the Gulf, setting the reform agenda’.
“Building a local capacity will make people believe in the system,” said Marc Harrison, Chief Executive Officer, Cleveland Clinic, Abu Dhabi.
“People do want to come back and work here,” he said while talking about Cleveland trainees who were currently working in the US. “They haven’t had a platform to return, but they want to make a difference,” he added.
Nigel Weale, Chief Executive Officer, University Hospital, Sharjah said that of the 300-member workforce employed by the teaching hospital, only one was Emirati.
“Only a small number is expected to join in the next few years,” he added. “It is a big challenge.”
asmaalizain@khaleejtimes com