Private healthcare facilities could be required to employ Bahrainis in at least half of their medical, technical and nursing workforce under a proposed law due for a vote in Parliament, despite government calls for MPs to reconsider.
The proposal aims to give qualified Bahrainis a stronger foothold in private hospitals, clinics and medical centres, where MPs argue that local graduates and jobseekers deserve a fairer share of job opportunities.
The government has warned that rigid staffing requirements could affect healthcare services, complicate recruitment and discourage investment in private medical facilities.
Parliament’s services committee is recommending that MPs stand by their original decision to introduce the 50 per cent Bahrainisation requirement, rejecting amendments made by the Shura Council.
Committee chairman MP Mohammed Al Olaiwi said the proposed quota would turn the principle of giving Bahrainis priority in recruitment into a clearer legal obligation.
“The aim is to ensure that qualified Bahrainis have genuine opportunities to work in private healthcare, rather than relying solely on policies and initiatives that encourage employers to recruit locally,” he said.
Under Parliament-approved wording, private healthcare facilities would have to ensure that Bahrainis account for at least 50 per cent of their medical, technical and nursing staff where suitably qualified local candidates are available.
For positions beyond that threshold, priority would still go to qualified Bahraini doctors, technicians and nurses, while posts requiring rare specialist expertise that is unavailable locally would be exempt.
The proposed amendment to Article 14 of Legislative Decree No 21 of 2015 also includes a transitional provision requiring private healthcare facilities to bring their staffing arrangements in line with the law after existing contracts with non-Bahraini doctors, technicians and nurses expire.
The Shura Council backed the bill in principle but rejected the fixed quota, proposing instead that the Supreme Council of Health set licensing standards and requirements while ensuring priority for qualified Bahraini professionals.
Parliament’s services committee, however, argues that existing legislation already covers licensing requirements and gives Bahrainis recruitment priority, making the Shura’s proposed addition unnecessary.
It insists that a minimum quota, conditional on the availability of qualified Bahrainis, would provide a more effective safeguard for local employment.
The government has urged Parliament to reconsider the proposal, warning that a mandatory 50 per cent quota could create practical difficulties in specialties where Bahrain lacks sufficient qualified professionals.
The Supreme Council of Health (SCH) shared the government’s concerns, pointing to shortages in some rare and highly specialised fields. It highlighted existing training and employment initiatives, including programmes developed with Tamkeen to prepare and recruit Bahraini doctors and nurses.
Labour Ministry figures cited in the committee report showed 970 registered jobseekers in healthcare-related fields at the end of 2023, including 486 in medicine, 169 in dentistry, 127 in laboratory work, 99 in radiology and 27 in pharmacy.
Meanwhile, the National Health Regulatory Authority reported 22,060 licensed professionals across the medical, dental, nursing, pharmacy and allied health sectors, including both Bahrainis and expatriates.
mohammed@gdnmedia.bh
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