According to a report in the daily Al-Shams, the girl died from an unknown health emergency because a team of Saudi Red Crescent Society responders, who were all men, were delayed by women security guards from entering the campus.

The guards insisted that they would take the girl to hospital rather than allowing any men volunteers to enter the campus. As the guards and rescuers squabbled, the girl breathed her last. 

Two years ago, the Saudi Red Crescent announced its decision to launch a new program of civil ambulance services to attend delivery cases at home. The program involves hiring of some 47 paramedics women from abroad. The society’s plan was to launch the program in Riyadh in October 2008 in the first phase and then extend it to other regions in the Kingdom. But after nearly two years, nothing has happened.

The question of appointing women emergency workers has come under the review and discussion of several concerned bodies and panels, including the Shoura Council.

When Shoura Council member Mohammad Al-Naji raised the issue he drew the attention of the consultative body to this hot topic. He said that there were several occasions when services of women emergency workers were required to attend victims of disasters.  “Accidents involving families represent nearly 80 percent of emergency works,” he said noting that this area would also open a new horizon for young Saudi job seekers. However, the report and recommendations with regard to appointing women ambulance workers are still with a committee at the Shoura Council.

Meanwhile, a senior official of the Saudi Red Crescent said the organization is facing difficulties in enrolling women cadets.

“We have no objection to hiring women cadets to work in this vital sector, however, we are living in a society that does not accept women engaged in such a profession,” says Saifuddin Abu Zaid, director of emergency services at the Saudi Red Crescent.

Another Saudi Red Crescent official reemphasized the apathy on the part of even young men to take up jobs in this sector. Saleh Al-Tuwaijri, director of the Saudi Red Crescent branch in Al-Qassim province, said that only 100 young men came forward recently to apply for some 1,100 vacancies.

In another development, Abu Zaid unveiled the Saudi Red Crescent’s plans to provide training for women in this field. Referring to the death of the Qassim student, Abu Zaid said it was an isolated incident.

“Most often we are allowed to carry out our mission on such occasions,” he said adding that Saudi Red Crescent cadets were allowed to take another student from the same institution to hospital two days after the incident where the student died because of overzealous women security guards.