DoH Welcomes Over 500 Applicants in the 2024 Medical Education Programmes

18 Jul, 2024:

A total of 505 applicants have been accepted out of 1,711 applications across the Medical Education Programmes offered by the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH), the regulator of the healthcare sector in Abu Dhabi, representing a 10 % increase in both applications and participants from 2023.

The Medical Education Programmes, which include internships, medical residencies, and fellowships across various healthcare specialties in medicine, dentistry and pharmacy, have seen unprecedented interest among nationals and non-nationals alike in recognition of Abu Dhabi’s leading position in the global healthcare landscape. In line with DoH's commitment to national Emiratisation goals and the development of a robust, home-grown healthcare workforce, all 294 UAE national applications were accepted into the programmes, surpassing the number of non-nationals accepted across the programmes for the first time since the launch of the programmes in 2010. In medical residency programmes, Emirati graduates constitute 75 percent of the participants and 62 percent across the fellowship programmes.

Dr. Rashid Obaid Al Suwaidi, Executive Director of the Healthcare Workforce Sector at DoH, commented on this achievement: "We are thrilled to see the growing interest in our Medical Education Programmes, which reflects the high standards and excellence that DoH strives to maintain. The increase in the number of UAE nationals among the accepted candidates highlights our dedication to nurturing national talent and contributing to the UAE’s vision of creating a sustainable, self-reliant healthcare workforce. This milestone also reflects the cutting-edge facilities across Abu Dhabi that serve as a catalyst to deliver world-class training opportunities and better prepare medical graduates to lead the future of healthcare. Through our programmes, we aim to showcase the capabilities of Abu Dhabi’s healthcare ecosystem and reinforce its leading position on a global level."

There is a total of 44 specialties under the Medical Education Programmes, including the newly added fellowships in critical care and geriatric medicine, medical residency in urology, and three dental internships. Other specialties include general surgery, paediatric surgery, internal medicine, family medicine, emergency medicine, anaesthesiology, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, psychiatry, dermatology, urology and radiology, dentistry and pharmacy. Each of the programmes are led by industry experts across Abu Dhabi’s state-of-the-art facilities creating an ideal platform for knowledge and experience sharing.

Launched in efforts to empower healthcare professionals to progress in their chosen fields through world-class training opportunities, the Medical Education Programmes by DoH incorporate an inclusive selection process with priority given to UAE nationals, followed by UAE residents and international applicants respectively.

The programmes are accredited by the National Institute for Health Specialties in the UAE and are in the process of being accredited by leading international accreditation bodies. For instance, Tawam Hospital, Sheikh Shakbout Hospital and Sheikh Khalifa Hospital are currently accredited by the Royal Colleges of Canada. Through the programmes, participants gain thorough hands-on experience alongside leaders in the industry across 29 healthcare facilities in Abu Dhabi strategically selected for their premier teaching settings in the various levels. Upon successful completion of the internships, participants will be certified to work in medical facilities across the UAE. Successful completion of the medical residency and fellowship programmes allow graduates to specialise further in their chosen fields.