Healthcare professionals can work in Qatar with temporary licences

Newly recruited doctors and other healthcare professionals are now permitted to work in the country with a temporary licence for a specific period.

The Supreme Council of Health (SCH) has decided to issue provisional licences to all healthcare professionals who have completed the preliminary licensing procedures.

Until now such licences were available only for nurses, based on a decision issued by the SCH in November last year.

The privilege has now been given to all health care practitioners, according to a circular issued by the Qatar Council for Healthcare Practitioners (QCHP) the body responsible for monitoring and licensing healthcare practitioners.

The decision aims to address delays in licensing procedures, which is badly affecting hospitals and health centres in the public and private sectors that are hit by a shortage of doctors, nurses and other health care practitioners.

The provisional licence is valid for a maximum six months, non-renewable.

During the pilot phase of the project, covering nurses, the validity was limited to only three months.

The temporary licence will be granted after completing the evaluation process successfully, including appearing for the qualifying examination.

Those who have obtained a provisional licence are required to complete the licensing procedures within the six months period.

Otherwise, the license will be automatically cancelled and the practitioner will have to apply again for registration/evaluation and won’t be issued another provisional licence, said the circular.

The temporary licence is valid for use only in the facility mentioned in the document and the practitioner cannot apply for any type of request using this licence like renewal, change of place of work.

No Certificate of Good Standing will be issued depending on this licence. [The Peninsula]