DOHA: Doctors, nurses and other healthcare practitioners blacklisted by the Supreme Council of Health (SCH) for errors or law violations have been banned from taking up any job in the health sector in the country.
Earlier, they were allowed to do clerical and administrative jobs in the sector. Based on a decision (No 9 of 2013) issued by the Minister of Health H E Abdullah bin Khalid Al Qahtani recently, the SCH has instructed all public and private healthcare facilities not to employ any blacklisted health professionals for any work.
They have been given three months to get rid of all such practitioners, if they have employed one. The SCH has also warned of strict monitoring after expiry of the deadline to ensure that they follow directive. The rule applies to healthcare professionals blacklisted not only in Qatar but also in other GCC countries, and internationally. The Ministerial decision was based on a recommendation by the Permanent Licensing Committee (PLC) at SCH, a senior official said yesterday.
“We can say for sure that no blacklisted person is currently working as a healthcare practitioner in any public or private facility in Qatar. However, there are a few blacklisted practitioners working in administrative or clerical jobs in some health facilities. The new decision is intended to stop this practice,” Dr Jamal Rashid Al Khanji, director of Healthcare Quality Management Department at SCH told The Peninsula yesterday.
The Department is responsible for licensing and monitoring the healthcare facilities and practitioners in the country.
He said it was not desirable to retain a blacklisted practitioner in the heath sector as his or her presence can pose a threat to public health. “There may be some incompetent practitioners working in senior positions such as administrators on the merit of their experience in the industry. Such people can influence the health sector in the wrong way,” said Al Khanji.
He hinted that they may still be allowed to work in the country in areas not related to healthcare.
He said SCH would blacklist a practitioner if he/she is found totally unfit or incompetent to work in the sector or if the person is involved in serious violations of the law. Of late, the SCH had blacklisted a number of doctors and nurses trying to get jobs in Qatar using fake certificates. They will never be able to enter the country or take up jobs here, said Al Khanji. The Peninsula
