Licensed Bahraini physicians and dentists outnumber their expatriate counterparts in the healthcare sector, according to a government agency.
The latest National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA) report provides a key statistical snapshot of Bahrain’s healthcare sector, showing that the total number of licensed healthcare professionals reached 22,887 in 2024 – up from 22,060 in 2023.
It comprises 4,890 physicians (21 per cent), 1,264 dentists (6pc), 10,080 nurses (44pc), 1,976 pharmacists (9pc) and allied health professionals 4,677 (20pc).
The agency’s Health Profession Regulation section granted 2,874 new licences to medics and renewed 13,523 licences during the reporting period.
The public sector employs 51pc of the NHRA-licensed professionals, while 42pc work in the private sector, and 7pc are listed under ‘not specified’, according to the report.
Overall, expatriates account for 50.15pc of licensed healthcare professionals, compared with 49.85pc Bahrainis, while women make up 72pc of the workforce.
Bahrainis account for 67pc of active physicians, while expatriates represent 33pc. Of the Bahraini physicians, 55pc are women.
A similar trend is seen in dentistry, with Bahrainis accounting for 61pc of licensed dentists in public and private healthcare facilities, while the remaining 39pc are non-Bahrainis. Women account for 59pc of Bahraini dentists.
However, expatriates account for 61pc of the nursing workforce, compared with 39pc Bahrainis across the public and private sectors. Women make up a significant 85pc of nursing staff.
Non-Bahrainis account for 66pc of pharmacists, compared with 34pc Bahrainis. A breakdown by gender shows that women make up 55pc of pharmacists working in public and private healthcare facilities.
All of the above data are based on the NHRA’s 2024 assessment; the figures have, however, changed over the years in line with the government’s Bahrainisation plans across the sectors.
In 2024, the total number of healthcare facilities accredited by the NHRA reached 126, including 26 hospitals and 100 medical centres. Of these, 93 were private facilities, while 33 were governmental institutions.
Other key findings:
- As of 2024, there were 976 licensed healthcare facilities in Bahrain. Of these, 928 were private healthcare facilities, while 48 belonged to the government sector.
- The total number of registered medicines in Bahrain stood at 4,600, including 228 alternative and complementary medicines approved in 2024.
- A further 43 new pharmacies were licensed in 2024, bringing the total number of operational pharmacies to 442.
- Twelve clinical trial applications were received, of which eight were approved, while two remained under review with a strong likelihood of approval. Orthopedics emerged as the leading specialty in trial activity, while innovative areas such as regenerative medicine and rare metabolic diseases showed limited engagement, highlighting opportunities for future growth and development. Additionally, promising advancements were observed in oncology and observational studies, with two trials conducted in each field, the report states.
- The agency’s Medical Devices Control section reviewed a total of 14,022 applications for new medical devices in 2024. Of these, 12,546 importation requests were approved after meeting the required quality standards. The total value of approved imported medical devices amounted to more than BD47.2 million.
- NHRA’s investors office received 46 inquiries from markets across the GCC, Europe, and Asia regarding potential healthcare investments in Bahrain.
- The healthcare agency’s revenue increased to BD2.9m in 2024, compared with BD2.8m in 2023, successfully covering 92pc of its recurrent expenditures.
“NHRA navigated 2024 with resilience and adaptability, demonstrating our continued commitment towards upholding the highest standards in health regulation,” said NHRA chief executive officer Dr Ahmed Al Ansari in the report.
“We are also exploring the possibilities of enriching the healthcare education and professional goals and practices through certificate programmes in specialised areas of service at healthcare facilities.
“We would like to encourage all healthcare professionals in the kingdom to embrace a mindset of continuous learning and innovation.”
NHRA was set up in 2010 as an independent regulatory body with a mandate to regulate the provision of healthcare in Bahrain covering the government and private sectors.
sandy@gdnmedia.bh
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