JEDDAH, 10 April 2003 — Elham Sindi, the first director-general of the newly-established General Directorate of Nursing under the Ministry of Health, says she is keen to attract more young Saudis to the nursing profession.
The directorate’s missions is to raise the standard of health services by providing distinguished nursing services and to further Saudization in the nursing field.
“I have mixed feelings because the post implies trust and responsibility at the same time,” Sindi told Arab News.
Sindi has a BSN in nursing sciences from King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah and an MS from King Saud University in Riyadh. She has undergone specialized training in midwifery at King Abdul Aziz University and attended other courses in nursing practices. A recipient of several professional awards, she has taken part in local and international seminars, and was a member of several regional nursing committees. Before taking up her new post, she was head of the Central Nursing Committee in Jeddah and director of nursing at the Maternity and Children’s Hospital in Jeddah. She also worked in the nursing division of the General Directorate of Hospitals in the Ministry of Health in Riyadh.
“The new post is demanding in the sense that it requires a lot of time to build a new establishment,” she said. “With all this on my mind, I pray for guidance in the new post. We hope to alter or correct old concepts about nursing and nurses, and we want to attract more young Saudis to the profession.”
The new directorate’s tasks include laying down rules and regulations for the nursing profession in line with the health rules and regulations in the Kingdom. “We have to regulate nursing practices, ensure quality control and certify educational standards,” Sindi said.
Since nursing is an unpopular choice for young Saudis, one of the biggest tasks of the directorate will be to increase the Saudi work force. “One of our primary goals is to encourage young Saudis to enroll in this profession,” said Sindi.
The directorate is aware that a considerable number of graduates with diplomas cannot join the university. “King Abdul Aziz University has a nursing degree program for those with a nursing diploma, but the number of students enrolling is still very small and the university only accepts female students to the program,” Sindi explained.
However, the Ministry of Health in an agreement with the Ministry of Civil Services allows nurses to go abroad for postgraduate studies as an incentive to enroll. “I’m aware of what it takes to achieve our goals. I want to meet the challenges of the post and the amount of work that comes with it,” Sindi said.
