Healthcare in the Arabian Gulf and Greater Middle East: A Guide for Healthcare Professionals

• Based on the latest evidence – provides a comprehensive overview of key healthcare challenges in region
• Features numerous Arabic contributors as well as non-Arabic contributors with experience and expertise in the region
• Key strategic, local and individual healthcare approaches – including a generic adaptable toolkit
• Short case studies and thinking grids for appropriate care
• Discussion of social, cultural and environmental perspectives specific to the region
• Easy to read and follow
• Highly practical – covers key topics including:
  • Islam and healthcare
  • pain management
  • palliative and end of life care
  • culturally competent communication
  • consumer-driven healthcare
  • the family in healthcare in the Arabian gulf
  • communicable and non-communicable diseases

Expatriate and Non-expatriate healthcare workers (nurses, allied health professionals, medics) intending to work or study - or currently working or studying - in the GCC or middle east.

• "The GCC healthcare sector depends heavily on the expatriate workforce. This poses a challenge for the health care delivery system [22]. Saudi Arabia [78%] and UAE [85%] have the highest percentage of expatriate staff in the health sector [22-23]. Statistics reveal that only 3% of the 23,000 to 25,000 nurses in the country are Emirati [21-23]. Expatriate workforce is expensive and they either prefer to return to their home country after a few years of service or move to the developed countries [21-22]." Health Care in Gulf Cooperation Council Countries: A Review of Challenges and Opportunities, Cureus, Aug 2017.

• In the MOH, which is the main provider of health care in Saudi Arabia, nurses number 55,429 (55.2%) of the total health workforce. Of these, 24,689 (44.5%) are Saudis, while the rest are expatriates (MOH 2008). The nursing profession in Saudi Arabia: an overview in International Nursing Review May 2011

• Using the above old data gives expat nursing numbers in the UAE of c. 24,000 in 2017 and in Saudi of c. 30,000, out of a total nursing population for both countries of c. 80,000. Adding in the other GCC countries and factoring in growth may give a total nursing market today of 150k of which maybe 80-90k are expat nurses. (Not inclusive of physicians.)