Healthcare Workforce Upgrade: Join 'Nafes' Program for Fall 2025

UAE Launches Ambitious Healthcare Workforce Drive to Train 10,000 Citizens by 2030

The UAE's "Nafis" program has opened registration for its fall 2025 healthcare training initiative, targeting 10,000 Emirati citizens over five years in a strategic push to build domestic expertise in one of the nation's most critical sectors. The program offers fully-funded scholarships and guaranteed employment contracts, reflecting the country's broader economic diversification goals and reducing reliance on foreign healthcare professionals.

A Strategic Response to Healthcare Workforce Challenges

The "Healthcare Sector Workforce Development Program" addresses a common challenge across Gulf states: heavy dependence on expatriate healthcare workers. By 2030, the UAE aims to significantly boost Emirati representation in hospitals, clinics, and medical facilities through comprehensive training partnerships with 11 leading universities and academic institutions.

Khalil Al Khoury, Undersecretary for Labor Market Operations and Emiratization at the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization, emphasized that the program reflects the leadership's commitment to empowering Emiratis in vital sectors, particularly healthcare, while linking educational outcomes directly to labor market needs.

Comprehensive Training Across Medical Disciplines

Bachelor's Degree Programs

The initiative covers eight bachelor's degree specializations including medical laboratory sciences, emergency medical services, nursing, medical diagnostic imaging, physiotherapy, pharmacy, anesthesia technology, and midwifery. These four to four-and-a-half-year programs are designed to meet international healthcare standards.

Specialized Diploma Tracks

Five diploma programs offer faster entry into the healthcare workforce, covering pharmacy technician roles, advanced emergency medical services, dental assistance, laboratory technician work, and healthcare support services. These two-year programs provide practical, hands-on training.

Financial Incentives Drive Participation

The program's appeal extends beyond patriotic duty. Students receive full scholarships plus performance-based financial rewards tied to their cumulative grade averages, paid at the end of each semester. This approach mirrors successful workforce development models in Singapore and South Korea, where financial incentives have proven effective in directing talent toward strategic sectors.

More significantly, 758 current students have secured "studying citizen employment contracts" that guarantee monthly salaries of at least 4,000 dirhams during their studies, automatic enrollment in approved pension funds, and permanent employment upon graduation.

Early Success Metrics Point to Growing Momentum

Since launching in 2022, the program has already enrolled over 3,000 Emirati citizens, suggesting strong domestic appetite for healthcare careers when proper incentives and job security are provided. This participation rate indicates the UAE may achieve its 10,000-citizen target ahead of schedule.

Ghannam Al Mazrouei, Secretary-General of the UAE Talent Competitiveness Council, noted increasing citizen awareness of the program's value proposition, which combines career stability with meaningful contribution to national healthcare infrastructure.

Regional Context and Global Implications

The UAE's approach contrasts sharply with other Gulf states that continue relying heavily on imported healthcare talent. Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 includes similar Saudization goals, but the UAE's integrated scholarship-employment model appears more comprehensive.

This workforce development strategy also positions the UAE as a potential healthcare hub, reducing long-term operational costs while building indigenous expertise that could eventually be exported to other regional markets.

Investment in Future Healthcare Independence

The program represents more than workforce planning—it's economic insurance. Global healthcare worker shortages, highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrated the risks of over-dependence on foreign professionals. Countries with strong domestic healthcare capabilities proved more resilient during crisis periods.

For investors and healthcare companies operating in the UAE, this initiative signals government commitment to sector growth and stability. The guaranteed employment pipeline should reduce recruitment costs and improve staff retention rates, making the UAE healthcare market more attractive for long-term investment.

Registration remains open through the Nafis platform and participating university websites, with the program's success likely to influence similar initiatives across other critical economic sectors in the coming years.