Children are constantly pestering their parents to buy them pets - cat, dog, bird, rabbit, hamster, fishes, or any other animal that can fit in a cage. A young child, when asked what he would like to become when he grows, he often answers, “A veterinarian!” However, due to fading love of animals as he grows older, discouragement from family and social circle, lack of university programs in veterinary medicine, and absence of support for veterinarians in general in the Kingdom, his career choice usually takes a sharp turn. Dr. Ahmed Alluwaimi is a director of the Saudi Veterinary Medical Society (SVMS) and a professor of immunology at the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) in King Faisal University(KFU). He says that there is a sharp shortage of veterinarians in the Kingdom statistics according to numbers. There are 14,000 vacancies but no candidates, this number is expected grow in the coming 20 years as the numbers of livestock increases. “Currently, the number of Saudi veterinarians in the country is 4,000. Veterinarians can graduate from the CVM in either Al-Ahsa or Al-Qaseem, as they are the only two universities in the Kingdom that offer programs in veterinary medicine,” said Alluwaimi. The SVMS in cooperation with the department of livestock and domestic animals, under the umbrella of the Ministry of Agriculture, plans to improve the academic programs and also the status of veterinarians working in the Kingdom. The goal is to educate and have highly qualified veterinarians who will have bright careers in the future and will also be well paid. Strategies are being implemented to add more specializations in the currently available college of veterinary medicine at KFU in Al-Ahsa. Graduates from the college of veterinary medicine should be able to continue their education and specialize in one of the following fields: veterinary surgery, birthing, veterinary laboratory medicine, and veterinary preventive medicine. Alluwaimi said that the curriculum in the veterinary college in Al-Qaseem is in Arabic language and should be switched to the English language in order to allow graduates to expand their future career options. In addition, an increase in the monthly salary will be given to the veterinarians employed by governmental agencies along with financial bonuses. Dr.Muhammad Al Balawi, an official from the Ministry of Agriculture, said, “One of our duties is to educate the private and governmental sectors on the important roles the veterinarian plays in a society. It is the veterinarian who is the first line of defense in the prevention of communicable diseases and infections that can be transmitted from domestic animals and poultry to humans. They are an important segment of the medical community. The Council of Ministers is currently studying the possibility of granting veterinarians a 20 percent increase in their salaries.”
