The Department of Health - Abu Dhabi (DoH), the regulatory body for Abu Dhabi's healthcare sector, has accepted 505 applicants out of 1,711 applications for its Medical Education Programmes. This represents a 10% increase in both the number of applications and accepted participants compared to 2023. The Medical Education Programmes, which encompass internships, medical residencies, and fellowships in various healthcare specialties including medicine, dentistry, and pharmacy, have experienced unprecedented interest from both nationals and non-nationals. This surge in interest reflects Abu Dhabi's prominent status in the global healthcare landscape.
In support of DoH's commitment to Emiratisation and the development of a strong, local healthcare workforce, all 294 UAE national applicants were admitted into the programmes. This marks the first time since the programmes' inception in 2010 that the number of accepted UAE nationals has exceeded that of non-nationals. Among participants in the medical residency programmes, Emirati graduates make up 75%, while they constitute 62% of those in the fellowship programmes.
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".
The Medical Education Programmes offers a total of 44 specialties, including newly introduced fellowships in critical care and geriatric medicine, a medical residency in urology, and three dental internships. Other specialties include general surgery, pediatric surgery, internal medicine, family medicine, emergency medicine, anesthesiology, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, psychiatry, dermatology, urology, radiology, dentistry, and pharmacy. Each programme is guided by industry experts within Abu Dhabi's advanced facilities, providing an optimal platform for knowledge and experience exchange.
