The number of active and licensed health professionals in Bahrain has surged from 20,475 in 2022 to 22,060 last year, according to updated data by a government agency.
The National Health Regulatory Authority’s (NHRA) latest annual report shows that expatriate nurses and pharmacists outnumber Bahrainis in those roles, while Bahrainis dominate in the general physicians and dental medicine categories.
Cover of the latest NHRA annual report
The total number of professionals with active NHRA licences reached 22,060 by the end of 2023. This includes 9,914 nurses, 4,723 listed physicians, 4,328 under allied health professionals, 1,172 dentists and 1,923 pharmacists.
Female active healthcare professionals outnumber men in dentistry (58 per cent), nursing (85pc), physicians (54pc) pharmacists (54pc) and allied health care (70pc).
A further breakdown of the NHRA data for 2023 shows that of the total 9,914 active nurses, 64pc are non-Bahrainis and 36pc are Bahrainis. The total number of registered nurses in 2022 was 9,666.
Bahraini licensed dentists outnumber expats
A total of 69pc of the total nurses are employed in the public sector, 30pc in the private sector and the remaining 1pc were listed under ‘not specified’ in the report.
Data shows that 67pc of licensed pharmacists are expats and remaining locals, with a staggering 75pc employed in the private sector, 22pc in public sector and 3pc under ‘not specified’.
The agency data shows that Bahraini physicians represent 66pc and the remaining are expats. Of this 47pc are employed in the public sector, 43pc in private and 10pc listed as ‘not specified’.
A breakdown of the total healthcare professionals licensed by the NHRA last year
The physicians include general, specialist, consultant and resident covering different specialisations such as cardiac surgery, emergency medicine, paediatrics, neurosurgery, gynaecology and other fields.
Bahrainis also maintain their position in the total number of active dentists representing 60pc and the rest are expats. Majority of those employed (74pc) are in the private sector, 16pc in the public and 10pc ‘not specified’.
Citizens also are in the majority (59pc) in the allied healthcare employed group that includes dental assistants, physiotherapists, paramedic, psychologists and other specialities.
Expat licensed nurses outnumber local workforce, according to NHRA data
“This report summarises our dedication to ensuring the highest standards of healthcare regulation and oversight in the kingdom,” said NHRA chief executive Dr Ahmed Al Ansari.
“NHRA navigated 2023 with resilience and adaptability, demonstrating our continued commitment towards upholding the highest standards in health regulation.
“Our efforts have been focused on enhancing the regulatory framework, fostering collaboration with stakeholders, and embracing technological advancements to better serve the community.”
Meanwhile, the annual report states the total licensed facilities in Bahrain reached 924, of which 877 were private healthcare facilities and 47 public or government.
The total 877 licensed private healthcare providers includes 24 hospitals, 329 medical centres and 86 clinics that operate in the country.
There are nine licensed government hospitals in the four governorates with five facilities located in the Capital, and two in the Muharraq and Southern respectively. The total number of government health centres across the country reached 31.
The number of beds in private health care facilities has grown since 2021
The Capital Governorate is also home to 17 private hospitals, three each in the Southern and Northern governorates and one in Muharraq.
The report has a section that outlines the geographic distribution of beds with 2,816 in government hospitals and 762 in private facilities last year.
Comparatively, the number of beds in private hospitals has increased from 542 in 2021 to 612 in 2022.
A pie chart shows the distribution of complaints, incidents and lawsuits in the public and private healthcare facilities registered last year by the NHRA
The report highlights that NHRA’s investigation section reviewed 358 complaints last year and medical errors or violations were detected in only 20pc of the cases.
Forty disciplinary actions were issued to healthcare professionals and facilities who committed medical errors.
Of the total complaints, 210 were reported from the public that was investigated by the NHRA teams – the majority were against private healthcare providers (127), public (79) and four covering both public and private facilities.
A total of 47 lawsuits were filed against private hospitals compared to 42 in the public facilities.
Complaints, incidents and lawsuits were against doctors, nurses, pharmacists and healthcare workers.
Dentistry topped with the distribution of lawsuits based on speciality with 53 cases followed by obstetrics and gynaecology (32) and dermatology (16).
Disciplinary decision was issued by the relevant NHRA officials against doctors (20), nurses (6), allied health professionals (3), pharmacists and pharmacies (4) and against a health facility (7).
Ten doctors were suspended, while two had their NHRA licences revoked and seven slapped with written warnings. A total of four nurses were suspended and two issued written warning.
NHRA received a total of 179 complaints (majority against private facilities) from the public in 2022 of which 64 were referred by judicial authorities to lawsuits.
Medical error was found in 43 cases in 2022, while medics suspended included doctors (7), pharmacist or pharmacy (5) and nurses (4).
The report highlights that NHRA’s investors office received 54 inquiries from markets in the GCC, Europe, and Asia for various healthcare investments.
A total of 28pc were about opening medical facilities either specialised or multi-specialty centres, 22pc were about the pharmaceutical inquiries, 13pc dental and 9pc for opening hospitals.
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