JEDDAH, 22 February 2005 — Dr. Hayat Sindi, biotechnology consultant & inventor from Cambridge, UK, emphasized that the only way to stop brain drain is by providing scientific centers with international/worldwide characteristics enabled to provide financial and scientific needs for scientists, inventors, while also providing a suitable environment for research and development.
She made these comments in the second session of the third day of the Jeddah Economic Forum 2005, moderated by Dr. J. Gregory Payne, Emerson College, Tufts University, Boston, USA, general director, Saudi American Exchange, USA, and co-speaker Ta-lin, chairman H & Q Asia Pacific, from China.
Dr. Sindi went on to highlight the reasons that led to brain drain pointing that 4,000 European scientists emigrated to America and there are 800,000 immigrants in the US. She also said that 37% of worldwide brain drain is from Middle East and Africa — 50% doctors and 23% engineers.
Dr. Sindi stated that the search for better standards of living and better scientific environments that embrace science and scientists are among the driving reasons for brain drain. Another factor is that many who return home find themselves employed in areas not related to their fields of specialty.
She went on to share her personal experience and journey in the world of science including the invention of a censure tool that detects cancer in its first stages. She also took part in a meeting that was particularly exclusive with only the top 15 best scientists in the world.
The meeting was on the directions of the future of science with Dr. Sindi attending as the only female and the youngest representative. She repeatedly confirmed her desire and motive to return home to give the benefit of her inventions and scientific studies.
She gave a glimpse of the difficulties she faced initially in going abroad be it the language barrier, the cultural shift or even dealing with the ideological challenge and perception that religion and science do not go together.
Dr. Sindi has harbored a yen for knowledge and learning from a tender age. “I never had a doubt about myself and believed in myself. I used to read about the scholars and scientists and ask my father ‘are they real? Are they human? So a person can achieve anything.”
She said that they had a brain just like me and if they can do it so can we.
Tsu began his speech with “Dr. Sindi has demonstrated that if there’s any doubt in anybody’s mind that women do not have a place in this country, I think that doubt should be totally dispelled”, and this statement was met with a round of applause.
Later on in a press conference, Dr. Sindi was asked why in comparison with Israel, the Arab world is not even on the map when it comes to research and brain drain? She talked of the effort Israel exerts to accommodate and attract scientists and encourage research. She likened science to a seed and said “If you want a seed to grow, you surround it with an appropriate environment so that it can grow, blossom and produce. And that’s what they do.”
She went on further to explain how many from the Arab world do not find the same accommodations once returning home which is what leads to brain drain.
Dr. Sindi stressed that research in science begins with an attitude and an approach that ought to be stemmed and nurtured from the earliest stages of education. Unfortunately, Dr. Sindi said that we do not place education among the priorities.
Two years ago, America spent 287 billion euros on technology with an increase of 16 percent this year because they want to be a leading force in the world and because they want to provide their nation an easier life and look for more cures for diseases.
As an example of the importance of biotechnology, she mentioned that India had invented rice that is resistant to dehydration which in turn played a role in ruling out famine. And consequently, India has benefited.
During the press conference, Dr. Sindi stressed that research should be conducted according to the needs of the country such as beginning with water, oil products, cancer — to begin with the things that the country is suffering from. However without nurturing people from the earliest stages of their lives, and training the child to think and approach matters in a contemplative manner it would not be productive, said Dr. Sindi.
“We have to go far. The Qu’ran is full of verses that urge us to think and contemplate. This ideology can be derived from this context. This isn’t something we need to learn from other culture,” she said.
