Saudi, other Gulf nations deem Pak medical degrees ineligible; sack doctors with MS, MD degrees: Reports

In a massive setback for medical practitioners from Pakistan working in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia and some other Arab countries have rejected the eligibility of country's century-old postgraduate degree programme - MS (Master of Surgery) and MD (Doctor of Medicine) for highest paid jobs, say reports. This has led to the sacking of many highly qualified medics and most of them have been working in Saudi Arabia, the reports added. 

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health said that the courses lacked structured training programme which is mandatory for being eligible to be hired in important positions. Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have also followed Saudi in deeming the qualification as ineligible in their country, the report said.

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As per the report, the service termination letters of several doctors issued by the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS) said that their application for professional qualification has been rejected and the reason behind it is that the master degree from Pakistan is not acceptable according to the SCFHS regulations.

Pak doctors blame CPSP

The report said that doctors affected by the move blame the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP). The spokesperson for the Association of University Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan, Dr Asad Noor Mirza, has blamed the CPSP delegations for the decision taken by Saudi and other countries which is likely to cause the professionals deportation from the countries soon. As per the report, he has alleged that the delegations during their recent visits to those countries had presented 'distorted facts' about Pakistan's university programme in order to gain monopoly of the CPSP-sponsored FCPS qualification.

Pak's Health Ministry takes up matter

Meanwhile, the University of Health Sciences Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Javed Akram said in the report assuring that the university programmes were structured training programmes.

The matter has now been taken to the Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid by Secretary of the Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Department, Punjab, the report said. He said that after much discussions, it had been unanimously decided to hand over the matter to the medical education committee and it would examine if reforms are reuired in its programme to meet international standards, the report said. The matter would also be taken up with health managers in the Arab countries te report added.

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