• Saif Al Suwaidi: The Emiratisation initiatives have contributed to the increase in the national frameworks and policies adopted to strengthen the health sector’s workforce
  • Over five partnerships with academic institutions to provide paid scholarships in health specialties for local students

United Arab Emirates: His Excellency Ghannam Al Mazrouei, Secretary-General of the Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council, the entity overseeing NAFIS, today met with the first batch of students enrolled in the National Healthcare Programme within health sciences specialisations at the Higher Colleges of Technology.

The meeting, which was held with 818 students at the Higher Colleges of Technology in Dubai, included conversations about the importance of the Healthcare Programme in providing private medical institutions in the United Arab Emirates with a talented and experienced workforce, and increasing the number of Emiratis within this vital sector.

During his speech, H.E Al Mazrouei said: "The health sector today has become one of the most vital sectors, not only in the UAE but in the whole world. This is why we must strengthen our healthcare system to be resilient in the face of future challenges. We have learned a valuable lesson from the Covid-19 pandemic that advance preparation helps speed up the response to crises and significantly mitigates negative impact, therefore, these programmes help us prepare for the future.”

"Thanks to the forward-looking vision of our wise leadership, the UAE today enjoys the best medical facilities and research centres. NAFIS’ National Healthcare Programme offers development and upskilling opportunities for students to achieve the necessary qualifications to work and excel in healthcare”, Al Mazrouei added.

He also urged the students participating in the meeting to encourage their peers to apply for NAFIS and benefit from its various support offerings and programmes, and especially the National Healthcare programme, stressing that there are hundreds of jobs awaiting qualified Emirati talent to fill them.

His Excellency Saif Al Suwaidi, Undersecretary for Emiratisation Affairs at the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, said: “The Emiratisation initiatives have contributed to the increase in the national frameworks and these policies  have strengthened the health sector’s workforce. The NAFIS training programmes, like the National Healthcare Programme, have also contributed to raising the efficiency and skills of those affiliated with these programmes, and thus supplying health facilities with skilled and talented UAE nationals who specialise in this field”.

Al Suwaidi highlighted the efforts of MoHRE, in cooperation with the Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council to enhance the presence of national talent, provide them with suitable job opportunities within private sector institutions, and increase their contribution to achieving sustainable development for the nation.

In turn, His Excellency Dr. Faisal Al-Ayyan, President & CEO of the Higher Colleges of Technology, expressed his pride in the partnership between the Colleges of Technology and NAFIS through the National Healthcare Programme initiative, as well as the Emirates Health Services (EHS), which produced the first batch of Emirati students enrolled in the National Healthcare Programme. These students will be trained within various healthcare disciplines . The  collaboration between government and academic partners  empowers students and provides them with the skills and knowledge they need to enter into the labour force.  

Al Ayyan also pointed out that the HCT offers many specialisations within its health sciences programme, including nursing, emergency medicine, public health management, medical radiology, medical laboratories and pharmacy, and all of their programmes have been linked to international professional certificates to support the excellence of their outputs.

For her part, Dr. Sumaya Mohammad Al Blooshi, Director of the Nursing Department at the Emirates Health Services (EHS) and Head of the National Nursing and Midwifery Committee at the Ministry of Health and Prevention, stressed the importance of such initiatives as it enables young generations to discover opportunities and make the right decisions that serve the strategic directions of the nation and encourage progress, leadership and innovation. She also indicated that the strategic directions of the Emirates Health Services fall in line with enhancing the leadership role of youth, providing appropriate career opportunities, specialised professional development opportunities, and a positive work environment that encourages productivity, proactivity, leadership and creative thinking, and ensures the provision of comprehensive and integrated health care.

The meeting included a dialogue session and a question and answer segment, during which students' queries were answered about the programme, the available professional specialisations, and other advantages offered by NAFIS.

The students enrolled in the healthcare programme expressed their gratitude for NAFIS, which enabled them to walk the career path of their dreams and to be part of the UAE’s healthcare system, affirming that the discipline is the very essence of humanity, as it is a noble career that directly helps and saves people’s lives.

The Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council is also working to organise other meetings with the beneficiaries of the Healthcare programme at Fatima College of Health Sciences and the University of Fujairah during the coming period.

NAFIS, which aims to raise the efficiency of Emiratis and enable them to occupy jobs in the private sector, formed partnerships with a number of educational institutions in the UAE, including the Higher Colleges of Technology, University of Sharjah, University of Ajman, Gulf Medical University, Ras Al Khaimah University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Fujairah University and Fatima College of Sciences, with the goal of increasing the participation of UAE nationals in the health care sector through the National Healthcare Programme initiative, which was opened for registration to join at the end of July this year. The programme received 3,721 applications from Emirati students, among which 1,621 were accepted.

The National Healthcare Programme aims to attract 2,000 UAE nationals during the year 2022, so that the total number of Emirati citizens working in various medical specialties will reach 10,000 by 2026, as part of efforts to create job opportunities and enhance the presence UAE nationals within priority sectors identified by the nation, with the healthcare sector at the forefront. The initiative also offers monthly incentives to those enrolled in it, in addition to job opportunities in the medical sector.

Some of the academic programmes included in the initiative include the Graduate Healthcare Assistance Programme, the Diploma/Higher Diploma in Emergency Medicine, and the Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing, in addition to a number of other accredited professional and healthcare and healthcare assistant specialisation programmes that will be offered in the future.

The second phase of the National Healthcare Programme Initiative which will include specialized programmes within the approved medical specialties, targeting between 1000-1500 UAE nationals, will also be launched in cooperation with educational institutions with whom NAFIS has recently signed an agreement, such as the University of Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah University of Medicine and Health Sciences.

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About the NAFIS Program:

NAFIS is a federal program that aims to increase the competitiveness of the Emirati workforce and laying the foundations to fill 75,000 private sector roles, in the UAE, within the next five years.

To find out more about NAFIS, please visit https://nafis.gov.ae.