A SHORTAGE of staff at the National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA) has been blamed for a recent delay in the issuance of medical licences.

According to the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) health committee, a backlog of applications from healthcare workers has built up at the NHRA recently.

‘The size of the NHRA is small compared to the enormous size of the healthcare sector in Bahrain,’ said BCCI health committee chairman Adel Hassan Al A’ali.

‘They need more staff to function and the delay in approving licences has been a major issue for the private medical sector.’

Solution

However, NHRA chief executive Dr Baha Eldin Fateha dismissed Mr A’ali’s remarks and said the authority was only ‘abiding by the law’ by meticulously studying each and
every licence request.

‘We need time to go through every request, as it is patients’ safety which will be at risk otherwise,’ he said.

‘We currently have 3,000 physicians, 8,000 nurses and 1,200 technicians in Bahrain ‘“ not counting new licences ‘“ and each renewal has to be gone through individually.’

Dr Fateha said the NHRA was doing its best to minimise any delay and as a stopgap solution had been issuing ‘temporary licences’ for healthcare workers since January.

‘These licences are issued within 48 hours and are valid for six months, renewable once, and foreign workers can be hired based on these
licences,’ he said.

‘But it is mandatory that they fulfil all legal requirements within this period so that they get the permanent licence.’

Automation of the process ‘was not practical’, Dr Fateha added.