Baldoz: Oman needs 3,288 nurses & doctors

MANILA, Philippines - Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz announced Friday that 3,288 doctors and nurses will be hired by the Sultanate of Oman to make up for the country's shortage in medical professionals.

"This latest positive development will certainly boost the chances of our highly-skilled and highly-qualified medical workers, particularly our nurses, of getting a job in Oman if they are inclined to,” Baldoz said.

Baldoz said that Oman Health chief Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Obaid al-Saidi told Philippine Ambassador to Oman Joselito Jimeno in a meeting last year that his country would like to hire more nurses from the Philippines.

She said that nurses specializing in obstetrics, gynecology, anesthesiology, surgery, intensive care and psychiatrics are the top candidates.

Al-Saidi had also said that Oman would be facing a shortage of nearly 9,000 doctors and nurses by 2015.

Baldoz said that nurses in Oman receive an average basic salary of US$703.79, based on employment contracts processed by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).