Several UK nurses leave jobs to work in UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar: Report

Published: 24 February 2025

Staffing shortages and low pay in UK forcing nurses to look for better options in other countries, including the GCC

Agencies
Dubai

Several nurses and midwives are leaving the UK’s beleaguered National Health Service to work in the Gulf countries, reports say.

An investigation by the UAE’s The National revealed that at least one person a day leaves Britain to go to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, or Qatar.

The reasons for leaving the UK are mounting waiting lists, low pay and staffing pressures.

The National report said the UAE has been the top destination in the Gulf for nurses over the past five years. Last year, 288 nurses sought to relocate there, a 25 per cent increase over the previous year.

The US has been the top destination over the past five years with 17,059, followed by New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, Canada, the UAE, Romania, the Philippines, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Medical recruitment firm Medacs Healthcare has been helping UK nurses find careers in the UAE, Saudi Ara-bia, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait over the last 20 years and told The National it has recently seen a signif-icant increase in applicants.

Zuzana Flowerdew, Medacs head of operations for the Gulf region, said staffing shortages and low pay have been a key influencing factor for their clients wishing to relocate.

“There has been a significant increase in demand and many inquiries from nurses and midwives from the UK. These inquiries are primarily for roles in the Middle East region, especially in the UAE, mainly Dubai and Abu Dhabi. However, we have also registered a growing interest in relocation to Saudi Arabia and Qatar.