Qatar needs a nursing institute offering diplomas to meet the continuing shortage of nursing professionals in the country, according to Dr Nabila Al Meer, executive director of the Nursing Department at the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC).
The Department in collaboration with Calgary University Qatar is planning to introduce masters programme in nursing to meet the high demand for nurses specialising in cancer, pediatrics, emergency care, intensive care and maternal care.
Stressing the need for a new nursing institute, Al Meer said, the Calgary University Qatar , the only such facility here, was too insufficient to meet the requirements of the country.
“The university graduates 20 nurses every year, which is too inadequate to fulfill the current requirements. We need a nursing institute offering diplomas, since all those studying nursing would not be interested in a bachelor degree,” said Al Meer, in an interview with Al Sharq.
She felt that the institute would also help attract more Qatari girls to the nursing profession.
HMC is now reviewing its nursing strategies to develop a new strategy for the next five years, she added. Several new projects are being planned to address the rising demand for nursing professionals.
“HMC currently has nurses from 45 nationalities. We are working on a programme to unify the practice of nurses coming from different countries and backgrounds, based on scientific evidence,” said Al Meer.
She said the Department was responsible for putting strategies for the nursing sector in line with the general health strategies of the HMC. It is also assigned with the task of finding more nursing staff to cope with the expansion in the health sector in the country.
She said more women in the region were now opting for the nursing job, like any other profession. Among the GCC countries, Oman and Bahrain have the highest number of women nurses. This is due to the fact that nursing is the best available option for them.
The peninsula