In response to staffing problem in hospitals, particularly the urgent demand for qualified nurses, the Health Authority Abu Dhabi (HAAD) has launched a medical professional online database.

The new portal will help registered hospitals and clinics access and select candidates.

The database comprises names and contact details of 1,089 candidates who have passed HAAD's computer-based testing (CBT) for practical nurse, registered nurse, school health nurse, physiotherapists, radiographer and radiotherapy technicians.

According to HAAD list, a majority of the candidates have taken the test from the Philippines while the rest are from 14 accredited testing centres in Egypt, India, Jordan, North Korea, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and UAE.

Dr Jamal Al Kaabi, head of Customer Service and Corporate Communications at HAAD, said that those on the list gave their consent to share their information and are willing to relocate to Abu Dhabi.

He said, the initiative aims to address the demand for qualified medical staff and to ease the recruitment process for health care facilities and "minimise costs associated with recruitment".

"This initiative should help and support health care facilities in recruitment process and reduce financial and search burden and in some cases international travel to reach to qualified medical staff," Zaid Al Siksek, CEO of HAAD said.

HAAD will continuously update the database with new contacts and additional occupational specialties that will have computer-based testing in the future.

"We will include more professions. In the last quarter of 2010, we will include medical laboratory, dental assistant and general practitioners (GP).

And in 2011, we will open up the specialist exams online for internal medicine, paediatrics, general surgery, dental specialities, GP dentists as well as pharmacist and pharmacy technicians," Dr Al Kaabi was quoted as saying by a daily.