Praise for decision to scrutinise academic qualifications

TDT | Manama                                                                                

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The decision of the Cabinet to scrutinise academic degrees was hailed. National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA) Chief Executive Officer Dr Mariam Adhbi Al Jalahma said that the step would fast-track the verification of certificates issued by higher education institutions from inside and outside the Bahrain.

“The move will also facilitate the recruitment process in the government and private sectors”, she said, noting the focus on auditing academic qualifications related to specialised professions in the fields of medicine, engineering and others.

She commended the successive initiatives of Team Bahrain to develop government services and facilitate procedures in line with the goals of the development process led by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the directives of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister.

She highlighted NHRA’s role in verifying the competence of health professionals before granting them a license to practice the profession in the Kingdom, after they undergo a licensure examination.

The regulatory authority also requires qualifications, certificates of experience and previous practice, a certificate of good conduct and behavior from the licensed entity or bodies in the last place of work, in order to verify the absence of previous violations or disciplinary sanctions, in addition to a copy of the current practice licence.

It verifies the validity of qualifications by checking from the source and in case some documents are not clear it requests any other documents that it deems important for granting the licence.

She noted the role of the GCC notification system for every professional who has been proven to have submitted any forged documents or whose license has been withdrawn from any of the member countries.