The health sector is in dire need of 150,000 male and female nurses. Studies indicate that one nurse is needed for every four to six patients. However, in the Kingdom, each nurse has to take care of 45 patients, which means we do not have enough nurses. The Kingdom's population is growing and is projected to hit 34 million in the next few years. The number of hospitals has increased all over the country in the past few years. Today, we are in need of more Saudi nurses. In the past, we did not have many health institutions that offered nursing diplomas, but all of our 28 government universities today, in addition to some private universities, offer nursing programs. The Ministry of Health should intensify its coordination with educational institutions to ensure that all Saudi nursing graduates are highly qualified and competent. The ministry should help universities design higher nursing diploma programs that focus on emergency nursing, ICU nursing, infection nursing, etc. Such programs, which should be intensive and extensive, would help graduates suitably perform the responsibilities associated with nursing. Nursing graduates face obstacles when it comes to internships. The ministry should ensure that nursing students get intensive practical training at government hospitals and it should assist them in adapting to the work environment. I believe that female nurses face more obstacles than their male counterparts in onsite training and work environment conditions. I suggest that we reduce the working hours of female Saudi nurses and not put them on night shifts. Those nurses also need nurseries on hospital premises where they can safely leave their children. A study showed that the obstacles facing Saudi nurses over the past few decades were the reason why 25 percent of them resigned. Although the number of non-Saudi nurses is three times that of Saudi nurses, the majority of patients prefer to be looked after by Saudi nurses who speak the same language and are aware of local traditions.
