The United Arab Emirates has launched a new policy to strengthen the presence of its citizens in the private healthcare sector; a policy focused on increasing the hiring of Emiratis in specialized medical and therapeutic jobs.

According to this new decision, private healthcare centers with 50 or more employees must implement 2% of their Emiratization quota each year; however, a significant change has been made in how this quota is implemented: from now on, half of this quota must be filled only in specialized health professions such as medicine, nursing, pharmacy, physiotherapy, and other therapeutic fields.

This joint decision was announced by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization and the Ministry of Health and Prevention of the UAE, aiming to increase the presence of Emirati human resources in one of the fastest-growing sectors of the country's economy.

According to previous regulations, companies were required to add 2% to the share of Emirati employment in skilled jobs annually and divide this goal into two halves of the year. Now, the structure of the goal remains the same, but its composition has changed; meaning a specific portion of this quota must be filled in specialized therapeutic fields.

Officials say this change was made based on an assessment of the labor market needs in the health sector, and its goal is to build a specialized Emirati workforce in hospitals and private healthcare centers; places where both job growth is high and job security is greater.

On the other hand, officials have asked healthcare centers to publish their job opportunities on the Nafis platform to create a more direct connection between employers and Emirati job seekers.

The important point is that the full implementation of this change will enter a monitoring and evaluation phase starting in 2027, and centers that do not adhere to this balance will face financial penalties.

Currently, the trend of Emiratis in the private healthcare sector is also on the rise; by the end of 2025, more than 8,800 Emiratis will have been employed in this sector, a large portion of whom are women.

This policy is part of the UAE's long-term program to increase the role of its citizens in the economy and enhance the quality of private healthcare services; a program aimed at building a more sustainable health system based on domestic specialized workforce.

Source: Gulf News