Nursing reforms

A common licence for nurses allowing them to practise their profession in any Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) country will be implemented within six months, according to a health official.

The plan has already been approved by the GCC governments and is part of a wider framework to standardise practices for nurses and midwives across the GCC.

"Unified procedures, licences and common examinations for nurses are important to tackle the problems we are facing due to different policies for nurses that exist in the GCC," said Dr Abdul Gaffar Al Hawi, Assistant Undersecretary for Curative Medicine at the Ministry of Health.

The common procedures are envisioned to help retain nurses within the Gulf, rather than losing them out to countries facing nursing shortages.

Qadi Saeed Al Murooshid, Director-General, Dubai Health Authority, said: "The Dubai Health Authority is aware of the importance of nurses and midwives in the healthcare system and their contribution will not be taken for granted."

New births

According to Dr Abdul Gaffar Al Hawi, Assistant Undersecretary for Curative Medicine at the Ministry of Health, by 2010 midwives will be allowed to deliver babies and doctors will only attend to complicated childbirth cases.

At present, hospitals under the Ministry of Health require doctors to deliver babies.

"Once we train our midwives and nurses, this procedure will change," Al Hawi said.