A call has gone out to expand one of Bahrain’s oldest health and sports science colleges to meet the overwhelming demand from students seeking to pursue its programmes.
MP Muneer Suroor has submitted a parliamentary proposal to develop University of Bahrain’s Health and Sports Sciences College, citing its limited infrastructure and capacity as a major barrier preventing thousands of secondary school graduates from securing admission each year.
“The restricted intake and small premises of the Health and Sports Sciences College at Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) deprive thousands of students of the opportunity to pursue their passion in healthcare,” Dr Suroor told the GDN.
“Despite the institution’s long-standing reputation and distinguished faculty, it can only admit a fraction of the applicants annually.”
The college, which currently offers diploma, bachelor’s and master’s programmes in nursing, pharmacy and radiology, has been witnessing increasing demand owing to the rising need for healthcare professionals in Bahrain and the wider region.
Mr Suroor claimed that in recent years, competition has been so fierce that only students with a grade point average of 96.5 per cent or higher were being accepted into the nursing programme.
“This level of competition is extraordinary,” he explained.
“Year after year, I receive phone calls from parents whose children aspire to study nursing, pharmacy or radiology at the college. Unfortunately, many are turned away because of the limited number of seats.”
The MP noted that only dozens of students are accepted into each discipline annually, with some seats reserved for scholarship recipients and those sponsored by external entities.
The limited intake has forced many Bahraini families to seek alternatives abroad or in private universities, incurring substantial costs, he said.
“Parents are left with no choice but to send their children to private institutions and pay very high fees,” Mr Suroor added.
“This is not sustainable when we already have a national institution with the experience and expertise to train future healthcare workers.”
Founded nearly half a century ago, the Health and Sports Sciences College is housed in two relatively small buildings in Salmaniya.
Mr Suroor
Mr Suroor expressed surprise that such an institution, that’s vital to Bahrain’s healthcare system, has not yet undergone major expansion.
“It is astonishing that a college which has served this country for almost 50 years is still squeezed into two small buildings,” he said.
“This is a national institution that has produced generations of Bahraini nurses, radiographers and pharmacists, yet it continues to operate with constraints that limit its growth.”
Mr Suroor argued that expansion was not only necessary to accommodate growing demand, but also to lay the foundation for transforming the Health and Sports Sciences College into Bahrain’s first public medical school in the future.
“The time has come to expand this historic institution – by not only increasing its intake but also preparing it to become a fully-fledged College of Medicine,” he said.
“This would allow Bahrain to offer government-run medical programmes across a wide range of disciplines and strengthen our national healthcare workforce.”
The MP stressed that the proposal, if implemented, would have a long-term positive impact on the country’s healthcare sector.
“Expanding the college will increase our ability to train Bahrainis in healthcare professions, accelerate the replacement of expatriate employees with local talent, and ensure that we meet the growing demand for healthcare services in the kingdom,” he said.
Mr Suroor urged policymakers and government authorities to prioritise the initiative, describing it as ‘an investment in both Bahrain’s human capital and its healthcare future’.
“As of early 2025, 36pc of government hospital staff or 1,951 employees are foreign nationals – including 111 doctors and 1,738 nurses,” he revealed.
The proposal has been referred by Parliament Speaker Ahmed Al Musallam to the services committee for review.
It will be presented during the final parliamentary term, which starts in October.
mohammed@gdnmedia.bh
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