An institutionalized G2G framework has been proposed for recruiting Bangladeshi doctors, nurses, caregivers, technicians and allied staff to Saudi Arabia.
The proposal was discussed during a recent meeting between Dr Neyamat Ullah Bhuiyan, senior secretary of the Bangladesh Ministry of Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment, and Dr Mohammed Bin Hassan Al-Dughaither, director general of General Administration for Contracting and Foreign Offices Affairs, Ministry of Health of Saudi Arabia.
The meeting was held during the recent official visit of Neyamat Ullah Bhuiyan to Riyadh, according to an official document obtained by BSS.
During the meeting, the issue of recruitment of 1,200 Bangladeshi graduate nurses during 2024-25 was appreciated, while Bangladesh sought feedback on their performance, professionalism, and service quality and requested suggestions for improving training, language skills, and overall readiness.
To facilitate private-sector employment for qualified nurses, Dhaka also sought exemption from the Prometric exam for nurses and proposed adapting a recruitment model similar to the Saudi Ministry of Health's system for public hospitals.
Bangladesh stressed the need for exploring collaboration with the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS) to ease evaluation and licensing, and proposed to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) or agreement, form a joint working group or technical committee on accreditation, and curriculum alignment.
Feedback from the Saudi Ministry of Health revealed that a draft agreement was finalized by both sides before the transformation of the health sector, which can be modified in line with the transformation policy.
It was informed at the meeting that there was a huge demand for critical care nurses in Saudi Arabia, and Bangladeshi nurses work as technical nurses in the general ward under the supervision of an independent nurse.
The Saudi Ministry of Health Sector is no longer recruiting health professionals, while the Health Holding Company (HHC) is responsible for the recruitment of health professionals in Saudi Arabia.
Prometric exam, professional experience, accreditation of professional qualification by the Saudi Council of Health, Saudi license for practising as a nurse and insurance to cover medical error are mandatory requirements for recruiting nurses both in the public and private sector, the document read.
