After Saudi Arabia's decision, Qatar, the UAE and Bahrain followed suit. (Photo: Reuters)

Saudi Arabia and a few other Arab countries have rejected Pakistan's MS/MD postgraduate programme, making Pakistani doctors no longer eligible to work in the country, a Dawn report said on Wednesday.

According to the report, the move has left hundreds of highly qualified Pakistani doctors jobless. A lot of them, who are in Saudi Arabia, have been sacked or told to be ready for deportation.

After Saudi Arabia's decision, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain followed suit.

The Saudi health ministry reportedly claimed Pakistan's MS (Master of Surgery) and MD (Doctor of Medicine) programmes lacked structured training programme which is a mandatory requirement to hire medics for higher positions.

Termination letters were issued to several doctors by the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS) saying their applications for professional qualification have been rejected as the Pakistani degree is not acceptable according to its regulations, the report said.

The development has worried many senior doctors in Pakistan, one of whom told Dawn that local health authorities will take up the matter with Arab countries.