Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi increased the number of UAE nationals it employs by nearly a quarter in 2017, as the UAE’s leading multispecialty hospital presses ahead with ambitious Emiratisation plans.

The hospital reported that its strategy of recruiting UAE nationals across clinical and non-clinical roles had boosted the number of Emiratis working within the healthcare sector.

This trend has been supported by several clinical partnerships with education establishments such as Fatima College of Health Sciences, a local higher education college, from which it recruited five candidates last year to join its graduate allied health and nursing training programme. The hospital also sponsored 20 students from the college to continue their studies, with an aim to increase the sponsorship to 25 students in 2018.

Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi has rolled out a number of programmes during the year to encourage more UAE nationals to consider a career in healthcare, promoting the opportunities for growth and development, as well as due to the significant social impact healthcare professionals can make.

"In keeping with its position as a leader in the healthcare industry in the UAE, it is a core priority for Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi to ensure that it continues to recruit, retain and develop talented UAE nationals, who will play a leading role in growing and developing the industry for years to come," said Yaser Obaid, Chief Human Capital Officer at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.

"Our strategic goal is to promote the healthcare sector in Abu Dhabi and the rest of the country by providing world-class care for patients, closer to home. Emiratisation has a key role to play in delivering a sustainable healthcare workforce. With such partnerships, we aim to recruit the best healthcare students and offer the best learning and development programmes for our fresh graduates," added Saood Al Hameli, Senior Director of Emiratisation at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.

Since 2015, the hospital had implemented a comprehensive recruitment, training and development strategy for UAE nationals, he said.