Saudi Arabia

Medical education in Saudi Arabia is facing multiple challenges, including the rapid increase in the number of medical schools over a short period of time, the influx of foreign medical graduates to work in Saudi Arabia, the award of scholarships to hundreds of students to study medicine in various countries, and the absence of published national guidelines for minimal acceptable competencies of a medical graduate. We are arguing for the need for a Saudi national medical licensing examination that tests the basic science and clinical knowledge and the clinical skills and attitudes.

In order to highlight the driving forces determining the international allocation of medical personnel, the cases of four countries (the Philippines and South Africa as source countries, and Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom as destination countries) are examined. The paper concludes that changes in demand generated in major destination countries determine the international allocation of medical personnel at least in the short run. [from abstract]

A substantial number of patients with psychiatric disorders consult primary care physicians for comprehensive health care; however, the diagnosis and effective treatment of psychiatric disorders are deficient in primary health care. The aim of this intervention study is to assess the pre- and post-psychiatric training knowledge of primary care physicians. [from abstract]