BAHRAIN will need to recruit hundreds of new midwives and nurses in the coming years to keep up with the increasing population in the kingdom which is expected to reach more than two million by 2032.
The current aging nursing population, those seeking early retirement and the stressful nature of the job, which already causes a high-turnover of staff, are some of the challenges already facing the health sector.
There is already a shortage of nurses, of which currently only 30 per cent are Bahrainis, as well as midwives.
Efforts are underway to attract more Bahrainis to train for the medical specialties to create a sustainable long-term local workforce, says Bahrain Nursing Society head Dr Jameela Mukhaimer who is confident the call will be heeded.
“We are developing new courses to attract young Bahrainis into the field and will also be following this with advanced training to offer a clear career path, both rewarding and sustainable.”
She admitted that the nature of the nursing profession requires round-the-clock provision and shift-duties and increasing the pool of recruits may help ease the pressure and make career more attractive.
“Voluntary retirement, an aging nursing population, high stress-levels in the profession, high turn-over and a difficulty to balance long-working hours with family duties have led to this gap and shortage,” Dr Mukhaimer added.
“The population in Bahrain has increased and it is currently being cared for by the same number of nurses since the 1970s and that is why we need to increase the number of those attracted to the profession.
“We also need around 1,700 midwives in order to cover the needs of the country’s increasing population and all the nursing schools in Bahrain have opened midwifery courses which will contribute towards reaching this target.”
There are currently more than 12,700 general nurses, 258 specialists, 264 practical and 301 midwives on the National Health Regulatory Authority’s (NHRA) books.
She was speaking during a conference held at the Gulf Hotel Convention and Spa where plans were outlined for the Bahrain Nursing Society 1st International Nursing and Midwifery Conference scheduled to take place in Bahrain on December 22-23.
It will be staged under the theme ‘Invest in Nursing and Midwifery for Health Security and Development’ and hundreds of nurses, midwives, and other medical professionals from around the world are expected to take part with scientific papers, training workshops and knowledge-sharing sessions.
According to Dr Mukhaimer ‘continuous efforts’ are underway to meet the requirements of an increasing population.
“There is no doubt that nursing is the backbone of health services across all levels and specialties, therefore, maintaining top level nursing and further development in the field is one of the main goals of the health system in Bahrain,” said Supreme Council for Health (SCH) chairman Lieutenant General Dr Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa yesterday.
“At the SCH we commenced a 10-year study which will forecast the projected increase in population, the aging as well as birth rates, and determine what our manpower needs will be in terms of doctors, technicians and nurses.
“This is a continuous projection process and based on the research we are creating training programmes and courses for employment in the field.”
Meanwhile, nursing consultant and conference scientific committee chairwoman Dr Fariba Al Durazi, revealed that a shortage of midwives and nurses in Bahrain was not only a local issue but a major global challenge.
“You can have a building with the best infrastructure but if you don’t have qualified faculty then you aren’t able to function properly,” she said yesterday.
“We hope that one of the recommendations that will come out of this conference is to help develop a national strategy to strengthen nursing and midwifery through more investment in these professions.”
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