Allow internships in private hospitals for medicos

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com

Becoming a doctor is like a dream come true for many. However, several here says it’s not that easy especially if you had chosen to get the medical degree from a university abroad.

For the first step to obtaining a licence here is completing mandatory internship year. Seems simple, but those who had gone through it says otherwise.

Several are still waiting, with not solution in sight and not job. Now a Parliamentary Progressive Bloc (Taqadum) has come up with a solution.

They say the government should create additional opportunities for them to get their mandatory practical experience to licence. Include private sector hospitals.

This should solve the crisis, they say.

To translate this proposal into action, the block says, the Ministry of Health and government hospitals should revisit the current internship policy.

Graduates from local universities typically glide into the workforce through internships in government hospitals.

A policy shift would help the Kingdom bring the talents of those studies abroad into the mix, making the health sector further strong. Led by Deputy Speaker Abdulnabi Salman, Eman Showaiter, and Dr. Mahdi Al Showaikh, the parliamentary bloc’s proposed amendment aims to streamline the internship process for young doctors, saving them valuable time and enabling them to gain practical experience.

This initiative also seeks to address shortages in specific medical specialties. Additionally, the amendment aims to alleviate the financial burden on families who often bear the cost of sending their children abroad to fulfill internship requirements.

Many recent medical graduates from Arab and foreign universities are currently awaiting opportunities to complete their mandatory internship year in government hospitals.

Taqadum said it is committed to actively engaging with the Ministry of Health and government hospitals on this issue.

They are optimistic that collaboration with private sector hospitals can ensure all graduating doctors promptly complete their internships, facilitating a smoother transition into their medical careers.