I AM sure all of us know about the College of Health Sciences and its illustrious history spanning over nearly half a century.
This institution, set up in 1976 in co-operation with the American University of Beirut under the supervision of the Health Ministry, was tasked with training and equipping Bahraini men and women with nursing and allied skills so that they could gain proper employment in the country.
Yet, almost 50 years later, we still have very few Bahraini nationals in the profession, which is dominated by expatriates. This, in spite of the fact that the college, within the Salmaniya Medical Complex, has developed programmes and capabilities to keep pace with the development and meet the increasing demand in the healthcare sector.
While its main task was a mandate to contribute to localisation of health professions, it appears it has failed in meeting that objective.
In 2011, the college was merged with the University of Bahrain (UoB) by Royal decree and in 2019, the board of trustees of the UoB decided to merge the College of Physical Education with the College of Health Sciences as an academic department. Accordingly, the Department of Physical Education became one of the departments of the college.
The college’s current location next to Salmaniya Hospital and the Arabian Gulf University has contributed positively to facilitating students’ access to clinical training sites to gain experience in the various departments and clinical areas of the hospital, in addition to access to various health centres, the Department of Public Health and other specialised hospitals.
We must acknowledge there is negligence or lack of a clear policy, or rather a clear plan to replace Bahrainis in government hospitals. Sometimes the presence of Arab and foreign employees is justified because of their practical experience, but the question remains: How can a Bahraini gain experience if he is not employed in the first place?
We know salaries in private hospitals are very modest and the number of working hours is long. Therefore, the owners of these hospitals are not obligated by any law to employ Bahrainis with a salary comparable to the government salary.
I feel we do not need this college if we cannot guarantee or secure that graduates will get jobs, bearing in mind that their specialisation is very limited in the field of practising the profession.
HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, has often said that a Bahraini is the first choice in all available opportunities in ministries and government agencies. Not only that, but intensive training programmes must be prepared within the framework of a specific timetable to implement an ambitious plan of action aimed at Bahrainisation.
These lofty directives are nothing but a true translation of the government’s ambitious programme and Bahrain’s 2030 Vision.
What is really required of all ministries and government agencies is to translate the aspirations of the wise leadership into reality to achieve Bahrain’s sustainable development goals.
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