TABUK — The Ministry of Health announced it is finalizing the employment of Egyptian, Sudanese and Pakistani female nurses to work in public health institutions, Al-Madinah newspaper reported on Sunday. Murjan Al-Murjan, director for contracts at the ministry, said the paperwork of these nurses will be processed this week. "Representatives from our recruitment committees are visiting the three countries to hire female nurses and finalize the paperwork. Having more female nurses will be beneficial for the patients. Hospitals in Jeddah, Makkah, Hail, Taif, Qassim, Ahsa, Asir, Madinah and the Eastern Province will especially benefit from the recruitment," said Al-Murjan. A source from the ministry said nurses are an essential part of any medical team. "Doctors cannot function without well-trained and professional nurses. Public hospitals are in need of more nurses with expertise from different parts of the world working under different medical circumstances," said the source. The source said the total number of male and female nurses in public hospitals, including Saudis and expatriates, has reached 75,579 nurses. "The total number of Saudi nurses, including both men and women, working in public hospitals, has reached 49,245 while there are 26,334 expatriate nurses," said the source. The source also said the nursing staff in the public sector has diverse academic backgrounds. "According to statistics the Ministry of Health published on its website in 2014, a total of 59,101 nurses have diplomas while 22,521 of them hold bachelor's degrees. There are 109 nurses with master's degrees and nine with PhDs," said the source. The source added with the recruitment of new nurses from Egypt, Sudan and Pakistan, the ministry's hospitals will be able to function better and avoid perennial complaints by patients that they do not receive proper medical attention and care in public hospitals.
