Saudi Arabia along with some other Arab countries have started to ban all the Doctors with MS (Master of Surgery) and MD (Doctor of Medicines) degrees. MS and MD are century-old postgraduate degree programs of Pakistan.

No more hiring of MS and MDs from Pakistan

The Saudi Health Ministry claimed that MS and MD degree from Pakistan lacked a structured training program which is necessary and a mandatory requirement to hire medics at important positions. Health Ministry hired a majority of the medics in the year 2016 after conducting interviews in all the big cities of Pakistan and also through online applications.

After this decision was applied in Saudi Arabia, other Arab countries like, Bahrain, Qatar and UAE also took a similar step. This decision has rendered hundreds of highly qualified medics jobless. The medics in Saudi Arabia have been warned about it and are told to leave or they will be deported soon. Recommended: No more expat doctors in the govt hospitals

Hundreds of Pakistani doctors have been terminated

This step has affected the career of hundreds of Pakistani medics and has also brought embarrassment for them. One of the affected doctors also claimed that this is an embarrassment for them since the same degree program offered by other countries like India, Bangladesh, Egypt and Sudan are acceptable in the Kingdom.

Saudi commission for health specialties SCFHS has issued the copies of termination letters to the doctors. The letter reads that your application for professional qualification has been rejected because your Master degree is not acceptable according to SCFHS guidelines.

It’s a disrespect for Pakistan

Dr. Asad Noor, a spokesperson for the association of University Physician and Surgeon Pakistan takes it as a setback for Pakistan major degree qualification and a disrespect to the highly qualified nation. He also said that CPSP delegation presented distorted facts about Pakistani University Programme during their recent visit to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries and they did this to maintain the control of the CPSP sponsored FCPS qualification.

Dr. Asad Noor was disheartened claiming that Pakistan had to face a huge loss of foreign remittance in addition to the suffering of the medics in the form of joblessness. The affected doctors and senior health officials in Pakistan blamed the CPSP, College of Physician and Surgeon Pakistan for all this and for damaging their career.

Dr. Usman Ali, the terminated doctor

Dr. Usman Ali, an affected medic claimed that he had done his five-year postgraduate qualification from the University of Health Science in Lahore along with training from Lahore General Hospital but the Saudi Health Ministry terminated his job which made him contact Saeedul Barki, the Director-General of Collaboration Department of Saudi Arabia.

 He was shocked when Barki told him that the qualification was rejected because CPSP delegations told the authorities that there were no training-based postgraduate degrees in Pakistan except FCPS. They told the authorities to consider only FCPS qualified Pakistani Medics for jobs here.

The affected doctors blamed CPSP for misleading the SCFHS. They said Pakistani University degree qualification was a structured training Program. Dr. Javed Akram, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Health Science also dismissed the impression that MS and MD program was not a structured training program.

Momin Agha, a Secretary of the Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education Department said that MS/MD qualification degree program is a structured degree program that meets all the requirements locally and internationally. He also said that the local health authorities will take up the matter with Health Managers in Gulf countries.

Source: Dawn