As the healthcare industry in the Middle East continues its rapid evolution, the desire to recruit the top international medical talent into the region is becoming increasingly apparent.
Ambitious plans to establish world-leading regional centres of healthcare, such as the Sidra Medical and Research Centre in Doha, Qatar, rely not only on innovative, ultra-modern, all digital facilities but also on attracting, retaining and developing the very best talent from around the world.
Affiliations with internationally recognised universities - such as Cornell in the case of Sidra - can only help to achieve this aim, however, there are many other factors that will influence the decision of highly qualified practitioners when considering the opportunity to relocate to the Gulf Region.
A survey of over 6,000 Doctors conducted by Head Medical last year indicated that the following factors would all play a significant part in any decision to relocate to the Middle East:
- Access to world class facilities with the latest medical technology
- Academic and teaching opportunities
- Career development
- Earnings
- Benefits (accommodation, flights, bonuses, transport, education)
- Opportunity to experience a different lifestyle & culture
- Ease of relocation (paperwork, visas, medical registration)
With the growing global demand for highly qualified health practitioners, Gulf countries are not only competing for this talent among themselves but also with the rest of the world, and that’s where employing an experienced international medical recruitment agency can pay dividends.
Annie Nicholson, Managing Consultant for the Gulf Region with Head Medical, explains “A well-established, specialist agency will have developed an extensive database of relevant, pre-screened Physicians who have already expressed a desire to work in the region. Such unique access to the very best in international medical talent is most effective when supported by a dedicated team with expert knowledge of both this niche recruitment industry and the specific localities they are recruiting. This combined understanding puts the agency not only in a prime position to accurately convey the benefits on both a personal and professional level but also to negotiate the best possible outcome for both client and candidate.”
In some instances, the agency may even be able to offer assistance with the medical registration and visa applications which, as well as being immensely appealing to the candidates themselves, can also have a positive effect on a hospital’s ability to attract the top talent, helping to remove another perceived barrier to relocating overseas.
For more information on this subject please do not hesitate to contact Annie Nicholson directly on +44 (0)131 240 5251 or via annie@headmedical.com.