it is possible to dispense with citizens or residents to some degree, but doctors concerned with our psychological, physical and mental illnesses are at the top of the list and most difficult to dispense with, however with the increasing frequency and number of medical errors and deaths caused by medical irregularities, especially in the private sector, the minister of health last month issued a circular requesting all doctors and practitioners and medical assistants working in the private medical sector to consult the ministry of higher education to run a check on their documents and certificates before applying for a license to practice the medical profession and has frozen all such activities until the completion of this exercise.
this is a difficult task which requires, according to the most optimistic expectations, more than six months, during which the doctor and the medical center will come to a total standstill.
the circular included everyone, even requests for issuance, renewal, and transfer of the license to practice the medical profession for all disciplines and levels, without exception. the deadly negative impact of the decision also affected thousands of doctors and dozens of medical centers.
the sources pointed out that the exception of doctors from the equivalence of certificates for 6 months or a year in coordination between the ministry of higher education and the civil service commission is not the best solution since the situation will be the same after the expiry of this period.
the medical bodies, represented by the medical association, the dental society, the pharmacy association and the union of private medical professionals, discussed the problem with the ministry of health in order to find an appropriate solution to the application of the law prohibiting the use of unequaled scientific certificates in the absence of issuing, renewing or transferring licenses for practicing medical professions or assistants unless the scientific certificates have been equaled, the ministry threw the ball in the court of the civil service commission demanding it to find a suitable solution for the issue.
according to the sources, the law which came into force revealed an imbalance in the health ministry’s licensing department, which warns of a crisis in the event more hospitals, clinics and dispensaries in the private sector become permanently paralyzed. for decades, the health licensing department has been issuing licenses for doctors in the private sector without equalizing their certificates.
according to the law, the minister of higher education will issue the executive regulations and the decisions necessary for its implementation, where the sources confirmed that the ministry of health is seeking to postpone the application of the law on doctors, pharmacists and other health practitioners and assisting medical professionals until a mechanism to promptly equalize doctors’ certificates with the ministry of higher education or to exclude them altogether, especially since the ministry of higher education was not originally prepared to do the equalizing of more than 2,500 medical certificates at one time and therefore it is very necessary to assign the issue to more than one body, internal and external, to overcome the serious problem experienced by the medical institution.
it is unfortunate that such a serious issue does not receive enough media attention. medical doctors have lost their jobs and left the country, and medical centers have been closed due to the non-renewal of their doctors’ residence permits.
others have been accused of trafficking in human beings and yet others had to pay large sums of money in fines due to the expiry of residence of doctors and pharmacists while they were awaiting the equivalence of their certificates.
the deputies, except for mp ahmad al-fadhel, have ignored the symposium called by the medical societies which was held a few days ago at the association’s headquarters in jabriya at a time while irresponsible mps do not hesitate to protest and threaten to interrogate and sign petitions and ask to meet the highest references only because a girl shook her shoulders at a ceremony.