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BAHRAINI dental residents, who had claimed that they haven’t been paid for months, will receive their dues soon, said the Health Ministry yesterday.
The 10 doctors, who started their residency in September last year (2021), had graduated from Chinese universities between 2017 and 2019.
However, their employment was delayed due to accreditation issues and they are due to complete their residency later this month.
A residency is a stage of graduate medical education and refers to a qualified physician practising medicine, usually in a hospital or a clinic, under the supervision of a senior medical clinician registered in that speciality such as an attending physician or consultant.
“The Health Ministry confirms the payment of rewards to eligible trainee dentists soon,” said a ministry statement.
“The ministry expresses its appreciation to all trained doctors at various levels for their efforts throughout their training period and their contribution to the promotion of health services,” added the statement.
Meanwhile, the dentists told the GDN that they are in dire need of the money – around BD530 a month – due to commitments such as transportation and family expenses.
In a joint statement, they revealed that they have entry-and-exit fingerprints to ensure their regular attendance but they haven’t been properly compensated like the rest of their peers.
“We, the dental trainees who graduated from China, appeal to have our training allowance paid like the rest of the trainees in previous years,” said the 10 dentists in a joint statement.
“Not being paid over the course of a whole year has led to financial difficulties, especially fuel expenses for transportation from our homes to the health centres we are training at.
“Some of us were previously working in the private sector and they had to leave those jobs in order to fulfil the residency year so their sources of income stopped.”
The 10 dental residents are currently working in nine different health centres across Bahrain.
The GDN previously highlighted their plight in June this year.
According to the National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA) 2021 annual report, there are 1,145 active dentists in Bahrain; 826 are general dentists, 220 specialists and 99 consultants.
Meanwhile, 208 new dental license applications were processed and 705 dental licenses renewed.
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