JEDDAH: A top official of the Health Ministry’s jobs department is all smiles as a number of qualified Saudi dentists are ready to replace expatriates at government hospitals in the Kingdom.
As a first step in this direction, the health departments have been told not to renew the contracts of expatriate dentists, Ayed Al-Harthi, director-general of the general department for self-employment programs in the ministry, said.
“The dentists have been notified of this decision and they have signed their contracts to this effect,” he was quoted as saying by local media on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the dental department in Madinah has developed a mechanism for the approval of assignments of dentists to other areas in the Kingdom. The move follows a rise in the applications seeking transfer from Madinah to their hometowns, a local newspaper has reported.
A number of dentists have lodged complaints, alleging favoritism in the deployment process.
The department has allocated a percentage system for deployment of dentists to their desired city — 50 percent for family and private conditions, 25 percent for seniority and 25 percent for discipline and a good record.
Arab News
