Middle East and North Africa

In recent years, there has been significant progress in health care provision in many countries in the Middle  East and North Africa. The standard of care in  hospitals is often high and in places comparable to Western Europe and North America.
 

A variety of different health  systems are followed, or used as models: American, British, French and others. Some countries follow more than one system. However, many lack an effective  primary care systems.

• In most countries in the area, health care is free at the point of access
• Prosperity in much of the region has lead to a decrease in infant mortality rates and infectious diseases and an increase in life expectancy

However, smoking, lack of exercise and obesity are prevalent  and have led to leading to an increase in the incidence of metabolic syndrome,  type 2 diabetes mellitus, strokes and ischemic heart disease.

Most countries  have started a public education awareness programme to discourage smoking  publicising its dangers, encouraging the population to take up exercise to help  reduce diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

 

Medical Schools

Almost all countries in the  region have one or more well established medical schools, with numbers of local  graduates increasing.  However, there are  still a significant number of doctors from Sudan, Egypt, Iraq and the Indian  subcontinent that work in hospitals in the Gulf countries as well as smaller  numbers from Europe, North America and other parts of the world.

• There is a shortage of locally trained nurses in the Gulf with reliance on nurses from Southern Asia. 

Postgraduate medical training in the area has  developed significantly in the last decade. Most countries have postgraduate  medical training boards that set standards for medical training, training  curricula and examinations. Training in general practice, however, is still at  its early development level. A significant number of doctors also sit foreign diplomas  such as the MRCP (UK) examination, which are held locally in centres in the region.

 

• RCP in the region
• Who's Who