Number of Saudis studying medicine in Canada rising

JEDDAH — The number of Saudi doctors gaining admission in Canadian medical training programs has risen considerably, Saudi Cultural Attaché in Canada Ali Al-Bishri disclosed in a statement to the press. He said 95 Saudi doctors, including male and female, have enrolled in a general medicine fellowship program in 2017. They make up 31 percent of all applicants. Al-Bishri said 295 doctors have been admitted to various specializations. He said about 4,000 applications were sent by the Cultural Attaché’s Office to a number of Canadian medical colleges. Currently there are over 1,000 Saudi male and female doctors studying in Canada. Al-Bishir attributed the increase in the number of Saudi doctors receiving training in Canada to the country’s excellent medical standards and the support the scholarship program receives from the Kingdom’s government. Meanwhile, the Board of Directors of the Saudi Council of Engineers (SCE) has sent 100 unemployed Saudi engineers on scholarships to improve their English language skills at a prestigious language institute in Britain. The aim is to increase their chances of finding employment in the Kingdom. The SCE also decided to send 50 unemployed engineers to a specialist institute in Britain to enable them to gain practical skills and experience. The SCE has decided to launch a program to grant privileges to engineering companies and offices that show keenness in employing Saudi engineers seeking jobs. This includes granting them 10 bonus points in the classification system for engineering offices. Furthermore, each Saudi engineer will be granted free original copies of 20 engineering software costing SR30,000. — SG