Dermatology workforce over a decade in Saudi Arabia: demographics, distributions, and future challenges

Abstract

Background The dermatology workforce is an important topic, as many countries are facing an undersupply of dermatologists, while some are expecting a surplus. Therefore, we conducted this study to identify the current dermatology workforce demographics in Saudi Arabia (SA) and the changes in such demographics over the last 10 years to identify future workforce-related challenges. Methods This study was conducted in SA, and it included all the practicing dermatologists in the country over the last decade (2010–2020). The number of practicing dermatologists, their gender, their nationality, and dermatology residency candidates and graduates were obtained from the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS). The geographic distribution of dermatologists was obtained from the Ministry of Health Statistical Yearbook 2018. Results As of September 2020, there were 2678 practicing dermatologists in SA at a ratio of 7.82 dermatologists per 100 000 people. Of the 2678 dermatologists, only 24.8% were Saudis. The Saudi dermatologist ratio has been almost constant over 10 years, ranging from 1.3 to 1.9 per 100 000 people. Of all Saudi dermatologists, 42% were female. The number of residents who graduated from the residency program was not consistent for each year and ranged from 4 to 25. The number of dermatologists varied by region, with 9.2 in Riyadh and 3.4 in Najran per 100 000 people. Conclusions The results of our study revealed that a quarter of dermatologists in SA are Saudis. In addition, the number of non-Saudi dermatologists has increased in the last 10 years, while the number of Saudi dermatologists to the population has remained almost constant. There is also a geographic maldistribution of dermatologists, with urban areas having a higher number of dermatologists than rural areas. We encourage local studies that can elucidate the factors influencing the workforce, such as the dermatologist appointment waiting time, dermatologists’ working hours, and the geographic maldistribution of dermatologists in the country.

The Distribution of Dermatologists in the Philippines

“…The dermatologist distribution was found to be inequitable in some countries, such as the United States of America (USA), where the density of dermatologists per 100,000 people was 4.11 in metropolitan areas and 1.05 in nonmetropolitan areas in 2013 [ 5 , 6 ]. Similar results were obtained in Brazil [ 7 ], Saudi Arabia [ 8 ], and Taiwan [ 9 ]. In 2020, the highest density of physicians in the Philippines occurred in the National Capital Region (NCR) (100 doctors per 100,000 people), while the lowest density occurred in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic (8 doctors per 100,000 people) [ 10 ].…”

“…Moreover, the dermatologist density among those accredited by PhilHealth was much lower, at 0.35 dermatologists per 100,000 people. Other countries have a higher dermatologist density (per 100,000 people): Taiwan (4.27) [ 9 ], the USA (3.4) [ 6 ], Brazil (3.5) [ 7 ], and Saudi Arabia (7.82) [ 8 ]. On the other hand, our overall dermatologist density is greater than that of Thailand (in 1994) (0.4 to 100,000 people) [ 24 ] (Figure 4 ).…”

“…While 91.3% (n=63) of urban towns had at least one dermatology clinic, 63.9% (n=92) of suburban towns and 96.1% (n=149) of rural towns had none [ 9 ]. As of 2018, the highest number of dermatologists (9.2 per 100,000) in Saudi Arabia was in Riyadh, which is one of the two most populated regions [ 8 ]. The majority of the Australian dermatology workforce is concentrated in metropolitan areas [ 18 ].…”

Thoughts on “Dermatologists’ Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Pattern Toward Low-Dose Oral Minoxidil in Hair Loss in Saudi Arabia” [Letter]

“…In 2020, there were 2678 practicing dermatologists in Saudi Arabia. 2 Therefore, including a larger sample size would allow the results to be more generalisable and representative of the dermatologist population in Saudi Arabia.…”

Assessing the Ability of Non-dermatology Physicians to Recognize Urgent Skin Diseases

“…Nevertheless, when these urgent conditions present at a hospital, both dermatologists and non-dermatologists are responsible for their care. In Saudi Arabia, dermatologists are available in big cities, but many smaller cities and rural areas lack specialized dermatologists [2]. Therefore, in those cities, non-dermatology physicians must recognize and manage many skin diseases and assess whether these conditions need immediate or urgent referral to dermatologists.…”