Saudi Gazette report JEDDAH — The nursing sector in the Kingdom has achieved a 30 percent Saudization rate, Al-Eqtisadiah newspaper reported quoting a senior nursing consultant. Sabah Abu Zinadah said a comprehensive healthcare project has begun to develop the nursing sector in the country and stop the migration of nurses into administrative jobs. She clarified that 97 percent of Saudi nurses only hold a diploma, something which goes against the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO), which derecognized all diploma programs in 2010. The Kingdom has replaced diploma courses with bachelor degree programs but the majority of nurses in the market are diploma holders with only about 3 percent possessing bachelor degrees in nursing. Abu Zinadah criticized the Ministry of Health for replacing expatriate nurses with Saudis because she thinks nationals should be trained first since the nursing sector requires certain acquired skills. “The major challenges facing the nursing sector are low salaries and allowances, a lack of transportation facilities and a lack of day care for children. In the past, the nursing profession was looked down upon but this has now changed,” she said. Abu Zinadah said the project to develop the nursing sector began in the middle of 2013 and a symposium to discuss the issue was held at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center (KFSH&RC).
