JEDDAH, 7 July 2005 — Saudi employees working in companies selling medicine and other medical supplies have complained about expatriates in executive positions in companies. They allege that the expatriates do not follow government regulations and instead of employing qualified Saudis, they employ their own countrymen.
Saudis have said that they suffer from administrative tyranny which aims at getting them to leave their jobs — “scaring them away” and giving them marginal jobs that are not in keeping with their specialties and qualifications.
A Saudi pharmacology employee confirmed this. He said while his ability was not in question, he feared losing his job because his supervisor was non-Saudi. He said there were numerous administrative jobs that should be held by Saudis in accordance with the Labor Ministry’s Saudization program; however, the monopoly of expatriates in managerial positions are obstacles to Saudization. He emphasized that most of those in administrative jobs are from the same country as the “manager” and that they have priority when it comes to salary increases, bonuses and promotions.
Another Saudi employee said: “These groups are a mafia at the core of the Saudi economy.” He pointed out that the annual profits from sales of medicines in the Kingdom exceeds SR700 million.
One expatriate admitted he had worked as a medical representative for three years but that this was not in accordance with government regulations. He had never taken the mandatory test of the Saudi Association for Health Professionals in order to obtain a license allowing him to work in the Kingdom’s health sector. He did not take the test since those employing him were afraid he would fail the test.
Dr. Khaled Al-Merghalani, the official spokesman for the Ministry of Health, said the system of the Medical and Pharmacology Licenses Administration did not permit the job of medical representative to be held by anyone other than a pharmacologist. He said any company employing people in this capacity without it being their field is violating regulations. He clarified that the Medical and Pharmacology Licenses Administration and the municipalities for health affairs carry out random checks to nab violators.
A member of the Saudi Association for Accounting, Abdul Majeed Al-Fayez, said the sector selling and distributing medical products is an area which gives strong chances to Saudi youth. He emphasized that such jobs do not need advanced qualifications, adding that many high school or technical college graduates can hold marketing or administrative positions.
He asked for pharmacology companies to publicly announce vacancies in detail as well as announcing the scientific qualifications of the expatriates who work for them.
